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Having really enjoyed all of Death Cab for Cutie’s previous albums, I had been anticipating their latest effort, Narrow Stairs, for some time. Three years after the release of Plans, they come back with a solid collection of tunes, albeit with a decidedly different flavor. A bit of a departure from their earlier pop sounds, Narrow Stairs is following on the darker melodic rock introduced in part on Plans, while still maintaining the signature DCFC sound. Their first single, ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’ is certainly a sign of the differences here, starting out with a slowly building four and a half minute intro, giving way to entrancing tale of borderline stalker-like obsession. Much of the album seems to carry a theme of longing for love, or of love lost perhaps…I wonder if any of it is personal? One of my favorite tracks here is ‘Your New Twin Size Bed’, which starts out slow and symphonic, but shortly thereafter progresses into something much more intense and rocking. This would be a great song to hear live, preferably at someplace like Berkeley’s Greek theater, a fantastic outdoor venue. An album well worth the wait, and in heavy rotation on my iPhone, I highly recommend it.

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