As if divorcing Zooey Deschanel wasn't hard enough, DCFC-frontman Ben Gibbard then had to cope with the departure of founding member/producer Chris Walla in September 2014, months before the band's eighth album "Kintsugi" hit stores that proceeding March. Fortunately, Walla's exit happened after recording for the album had all but concluded, so lyrical content doesn't revolve much around his departure. Still, you can't help but wonder if Gibbard somehow tied this event with his divorce from Deschanel in some way, either directly or not. The most obvious detail of Walla's absence is of course the production, which has Death Cab steering towards the new wave revival of the early 2010s, under the guidance of new producer Rich Costey. Hints of an impending loss of a band member could perhaps be seen in parts of "Little Wanderer" or "El Dorado", but by and large, "Kintsugi" is firmly about divorce.
Since Ben Gibbard is no stranger to heartbreak (he's only had like, what, sixteen years to hone this craft?), he capitalizes on detailing the end of his relationship to Zooey Deschanel, just as "Codes and Keys" in 2011 detailed its beginning. One key difference between these records, other than different producers at the helm, is that "Kintsugi" actually seems liberated by heartbreak, since it fuels Gibbard's imagination, whereas "Codes and Keys" often seemed too domestic and intimate to resonate on a larger scale. The sonic risks Death Cab takes with this new record pay off to longer-lasting results than most of what they've put out in the last ten years. Producer Rich Costey is the primary aid in this shift, fleshing out these songs with more studio effects--primarily synth overlay, distorted guitars, and the occasional drum machines for additional percussive effects--making "Kintsugi" more lush than anything they've ever done prior. Long-term fans of the band may find this disarming upon the first listen, but this is still standard issue Death Cab. Gibbard hasn't sacrificed his poetic lyrical style in light of the sound shifting to a more pop audience, which seems to only enhance his charms as a songwriter and singer. Also worthy of attention is how Death Cab tackles the trials and tribulations of divorce without ever sinking into the confessional songwriter murk that has bogged down many artists before them. This is all pleasant yet substantive pop that's filtered through rock ambiance, achieving DCFC's unique blend of catchy melodies, musical hooks, and artful compositions. It's easy to tell who Gibbard's "Little Wanderer" is or who has become his "Black Sun", but he also expertly shades the specific details with more universal feelings of loss. It's not an easy trick to pull off (no matter what Taylor Swift may tell you), and "Kintsugi" is really better off because of it. Maybe DCFC will succumb to blandness once Chris Walla's ghost has finally left, but for now, this record is hopeful enough to predict they'll be just fine. It's good to have Death Cab back; the music of the 2010s has been quite dull without them in it.
Recommended Tracks:
1. No Room in Frame 2. Black Sun 3. The Ghosts of Beverly Drive
4. Little Wanderer 5. You’ve Haunted Me All My Life 6. Hold No Guns
7. Everything’s a Ceiling 8. Good Help (Is So Hard to Find) 9. El
Dorado
10. Ingenue 11. Binary Sea
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