21
I Long For This Mirrored Perspective
There's something about the new Death Cab for Cutie song that I can't get enough of. At eight minutes and thirty-five seconds, "I Will Possess Your Heart" is an unlikely single -- it's length a definite turn-off, especially since Ben Gibbard's vocals don't come in until 4:35, well over half-way through the track. But like the lyrics instruct, you gotta spend some time, love, you gotta spend some time with the song. Luckily, I have a hellish commute and I added the track to my spring driving playlist, forcing me to listen and quickly fall in love.
It opens straight out of 1994, like a lost alternarock song that would've been at home on alt radio with the titans of fourteen years ago -- Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Live. I would've listened to and loved this early in high school and that fact surprisingly doesn't hurt the song, it makes it. Retro fits Death Cab well (and I'd much rather be reminded of '94 than '04, as the band usually evokes thoughts of the dearly departed The O.C. for me).
And those lyrics? There aren't many, and they aren't complicated. But after a four-and-a-half minute investment into the song, you're hit with this:
It's like a book elegantly bound, but in a language that you can't read - just yet
Brilliant! Gives me goosebumps everytime. I'd suffer through sixteen minutes of an repetative instrumental just for that line. But there's no suffering here. I adore this song.
Narrow Stairs comes out next month, after a string of new releases by a trinity of my favorite pop artists (Madonna, Gavin DeGraw, and Jason Mraz), but with each listen of "I Will Possess Your Heart." I get more excited for the "curveball" the band promises from the disc. I've found Death Cab's other albums largely dull aside from a few choice songs, but I'm wondering if Stairs will be the album to rock my summer.
Posted by Patrick on 04/21/08 at 2:12 PMCategorized: Music / iPod
Tagged: Death Cab for Cutie music
Powered by Movable Type 4. Hosted by LivingDot.