Death Cab For Cutie - something about airplanes deluxe edition

I know. I'm as sick of hearing about Death Cab as the next guy. When I saw them with The Jealous Sound at the Knit years ago I never thought they'd be playing the Garden or opening for Neil Young on tours, but fate seems to have smiled on them. It's now been ten years since Barsuk released something about airplanes and they have seen fit to commemorate the occasion with a deluxe reissue that adds a recording of their first Seattle show in February 1998.

It's a good period for them, and the live recording captures them as the fresh-faced Northwestern youth you would expect them to be. It's pretty funny to hear them hawking their tape for $3 over the course of the set. The live recording is evidently from a show at the Crocodile Cafe opening up for Harvey Danger. Their singer Sean Nelson joins the band for a cover of Sweet and Tender Hooligan. I never recalled liking Harvey Danger all that much, but it's a pretty good cover. It looks like maybe I should revisit them, especially since they are back on the scene and all.

Death Cab seem like they were a pretty tight band back then. There's more of an edge than you'll see them display in this day and age, although truth be told, the new record Narrow Stairs is pretty aces. Revisiting the something about airplanes ten years on, it holds up pretty well. Chris Walla really was doing amazing thing at his nascent Hall Of Justice studios back then and Gibbard had a good batch of songs. Nicholas Harmer deserves his due as well, his meaty yet melodic basslines are as integral to Death Cab as Simon Gallup is to the Cure. Barsuk releasing this marked the beginning of an era that was to soon include bands like The Long Winters and The Shins. Death Cab has been the most successful of the crop by far. Say what you will about the crew of ponces that comprises the majority of their new-school fanbase, they have achieved their station the old fashioned way: by releasing quality records and touring the hell out of them. If you are a fan, I hope that you are aware of this record's existence in its original form, but the deluxe version of something about airplanes is well worth picking up, especially for the live set. I assume that Walla probably remastered it, as well, so why not go for the upgrade. Buy it here from the good folk of Barsuk. If you are of a mind, you can keep up with all things Death Cab related here.

R