Death Cab For Cutie In Hauntingly Fine Form

Death Cab For Cutie moves at a pace betraying the title of its latest single, "The Ghosts of Beverly Drive". Singer Ben Gibbard acts quizzically. Kind of like someone hovering over his own expired existence wondering how did he ever get into this miss. He's on the tour bus to Strangeville in the video. His curiosity maintains an elevated state throughout the song. How can you go wrong with a song where the bass rumbles so convincingly. Who needs nails on the blackboard when Nick Harmer throws down those solid bass riffs. That's what's know as the engine propelling the train. Though I'd never peg this Washington outfit as radio friendly minstrels "Ghosts" isn't going out of its way to be inaccessible. That stems from Ben's chops to Jason McGerr's steady hands on drums to the previously commented upon bass. This bunch puts forth textbook cohesion so that the listener doesn't need a language translator to become totally immersed in the festivties. No real surprise that Death Cab For Cutie plays the apparition card here. In fact I'm hugely surprised it wasn't brought out sooner. Verse one zeroes in on a tragic auto accident and the heartbreaking consequences that follow. Verse two relies heavily on highly dramatized poetry to get its point across. The female in this tragic story hasn't been to the ghostly side of the tracks before. Thanks to the emerging tragedy she doesn't have to say that anymore. The life goes on theme looms large in verse three..."I don't know what I expect to find. Where all the news is second hand and everything just goes on as planned." I reach the desire for language translation upon hearing the words "You wanna teach but not be taught. And I wanna sell but not be bought." Are we entering some dominatrix underbelly? One of numerous scenarios that sound plausible. The lyrics come out at a sprightly clip. I am impressed at how not sickly the whole affair becomes. Perhaps that's the trace of the car victim's last moments of conscious awareness before he bought the farm. There's electricity bubbling beneath the surface. Again, maybe that's brain activity before sadness draped like a black tarp over the proceedings. The video for the song operates strictly out of black and white. Hauntingly appropriate since it's life draining macabre that we've zeroed in on. The drumming doesn't sound to anxious to refrain from picking at the detritus. Call it (gasp) fatal fascination. Ben's also very conversational as he vocalizes. He's a planetary observer, no more no less. "The Ghosts of Beverly Drive" scares melodies that'll reassure you an autopsy report for the band's career isn't needed at present.