It's safe to say Death Cab for Cutie have made a career on being eternally, well, sad. Through out their six studio albums, the band have created a sound based upon being lost and low with life and especially love. To Death Cab, the sentiment of love seems more important then the object of it. The band's seventh LP, Codes and Keys, will be released on May 31. Despite front man Ben Gibbard finding love and clarity, Codes and Keys proves why Death Cab for Cutie should be credited with the recent success of Indie Rock.
Codes and Keys is Death Cab's most balanced record yet. Where Stairs was a very morose album, this one is very emotionally equal on all sides. To see the proof, take a look at the record's first single, "You are a Tourist". Sonically, the single is a happy track. The lyrics however, are true the band-dark. The reverse can be said for the piano driven song, "Unobstructed Views". The music is much darker but the lyrics seem more optimistic. Codes and Keys takes on sorting worldly views lyrically. With that being the task, Death Cab for Cutie seems more lost then ever. Taking on the task of showing how comforting home is when a person does not know where home is can do that to a band. The point is though, Death Cab wants to seem lost, it's what works for them. The band's rhythm section pairs beautifully with the lyrics for the point to be shown, making songs like "St. Peter's Cathedral" chilling. It should also be mentioned that guitarist Chris Walla is a musician and producer on the album is well.
Everyone should check out Codes and Keys and Death Cab for Cutie as fast as they can. They are innovators in their genre as well as the music business. Their staying power is proven with the fact that in an industry right now that tomorrow is questionable, they have seven albums. Codes and Keys is an ode to alienation. Death Cab's constant conflict between heart and head is their key to success, and they continue struggling and winning with this album.
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