Album Review: Death Cab For Cutie’s Thank You For Today Makes You Feel Grateful
Thank You For Today is the title of Death Cab For Cutie’s newest record, and it is an apt title for an album on gratitude. Mixed and produced by Rich Costey (Franz Ferdinand), there is a new, heightened sense of futurism and surrealism to the band’s sound that shows new frontiers for their music. Yet, the record, lyrically, is about looking back, and getting comfortable that people, places, and things are temporary to your life’s journey.
Nothing lasts forever: this is a fact! When asked to comment on Thank You For Today, particularly new song “Gold Rush,” lead singer Ben Gibbard said something that defines the album:
“I’ve had this realization only recently that so many of my memories are tied to my geography. And when that geography changes, it’s as if you’re not only coming to terms with the passage of time, but it’s as if you’re losing those people and that time in your life all over again!”
Death Cab for Cutie – “Gold Rush” (Official Video)
He is right, and very “Joan Didion” in his perspective. Goodbyes are equal parts in our life as “hellos.” They are never separated, and Thank You For Today seesaws through this emotional truth. Tracks like “Autumn Love,” “Near Far,” “I Dreamt We Spoke Again,” and “You Moved Away” swish guitars and synths like they are two waves crashing, and you have to decide whether to sink or swim through their versed sentiments. Relationships are finite but their impacts upon us are infinite, which is why we never really let go of someone. Instead, we transform what they mean to us as we carry them in our hearts and, in this case, in our music
Death Cab for Cutie – “Autumn Love” (Lyric Video)
Ben Gibbard, vocally, has an innate capacity to infuse sullen and dreaminess. Yet, you need to combine both when seeking solace. From “Summer Years” to “Northern Lights,” instrumentals feel like reels of picture prints framing Gibbard’s feelings. He sings as if he is looking at life from a distant peak; observing its happiest and saddest moments with mutual welcome. It’s a powerful approach because, at times, humans fight their capacity for joy as much as their capacity to cry. Hence, Thank You For Today feels like a synth-pop fantasy for those spiritually maturing, and realizing you turn your life into art when you stop fighting what colors its gives you to paint it with. For More Information On Death Cab For Cutie And To Buy Thank You For Today On August 17 Click Here.
