Death Cab For Cutie: Up From The Indie World

Death Cab for Cutie started out as the solo project of engineering student Ben Gibbard. While he was attending college in Washington state, Gibbard performed on the side and recorded a demo that found a unexpected following. Gathering members with the help of producer and multi-instrumentalist Chris Walla, the group began to record and hit local venues. Word spread quickly about the Bellingham band's sweet, sincere pop.

Years later, Death Cab for Cutie has scored multiple Grammy nominations and toured internationally, but it hasn't lost the ability to express accessible and powerful emotions in its music. Gibbard's vocals, always faintly familiar in a boy-next-door way, observe love and life with a resigned delicacy — his songs are poetic and yearning, but never over-the-top. With beautiful melodies, imaginative rhythms and stylistic variety, Death Cab for Cutie has evolved considerably over the years. Its latest album is the inventive and appealing Narrow Stairs.

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