Customer Reviews

The Stability EP

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Stability EP is perhaps the most controversial release in the Death Cab catalog. Although it came out around the time of The Photo Album (appearing in original pressings), it abandoned that album's more propulsive nature and retreated to a sound somewhere along the lines of We Have The Facts... as seen through the eyes of Low. The title track is perhaps the most controversial of the tunes here, moving at well past the 12 minute mark. And although the latter portion of the song is a single guitar line repeated over and over, there are some gorgeous building synth swells the add a sort-of epic quality to the tune. And that guitar line is simple, but pretty anyway. If anything drags, it might be "20th Century Towers," but when in the right mood, the track works wonders. Best of all is an excellent cover of Bjork's "All Is Full Of Love," a cover that reminds one of the original only in the sense of melody. But Death Cab makes it completely there own. I'm usually not a fan of covers, but this is everything a cover should be. If there's a hole in your Death Cab collection, purchase this nice EP.

If you were unlucky enough not to get a copy of The Photo Album CD that included the 3 songs on this EP, it is definitely worth your while to purchase it. Much like The Forbidden Love EP as compared to We Have the Facts..., this EP expands upon the music of the full length in an incredibly compelling way for such a short collection of songs.

"20th Century Towers" kicks off the album, a slow, subdued and truly beautiful song that finds Ben Gibbard in top form with his voice emoting through lines like "and yet it still remains, this incessant refrain."
"All is Full of Love", the Bjork cover, is the reason I purchased the album, and is worth the price on its own. I must admit I'm at most a casual fan of Bjork's and have never heard the original, but the way Death Cab handles it is brilliant and is easily one of their best tunes.

"Stability", the 13-minute closer, does take a while to gets used to. It begins with a 4-minute piano-backed Death Cab song, slow and beautiful, and then evolves into a wordless piano and drums musical that repeats a similar beat over the lengthy remainder of the song. On the first few listens, this seemed to be the weak point of the EP, since not much original is offered beyond the beginning of the track, but on subsequent experiences, this song really grows into a strength, sweeping over your senses quietly, almost like a Low album. It really is just as wonderful as the other tracks, and makes this one of the best EPs I own. I even dare to say I like it more than Forbidden Love, although it's close. I've owned it for more than 6 months and still listen to it quite often, something I can't even say for the Photo Album itself, or very few albums of any length, for that matter.

Let me start off by saying that some folks gripe about this EP dragging on, especially the closing title track. I don't think this is the case, but I'll get to that in a moment.

The Stability EP gathers the three tracks that only appeared on the initial pressing (and Japanese release) of their record The Photo Album, providing an easier way for folks to get ahold of these tracks. Yeah, there are only three tracks here, but the playing time of the EP clocks in around three minutes.

Music-wise, the album seems to focus around the slower (make that slowest) aspects of the band, hinted at on The Photo Album. Sure, Death Cab's sophomore album, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, definitely takes its time as a whole, but this is different in such a way I can't really put a finger on it.

The EP opens up with "20th Century Towers," which barely crawls along at any pace whatsoever. This isn't bad, either. The left/right channel guitar interplay between Ben Gibbard and Chris Walla, especially at the end of the song, is quite captivating, as is the sole instance the entire band chimes in for an a capella line. For any DCFC fan who is used to the faster, fuzzier tracks of days past, this is a shocking and somewhat pleasant experience.

Next up is a cover of Björk's "All is Full of Love." The band does the song justice, though not much is changed. This tracks is the most propulsive on the EP, mostly in part to recently-departed drummer Michael Schorr's flurriful drum beat (using toms and brushes to a great effect).

The final song, "Stability," seems to be the track that irks most reviewers off. This tune is close to 12 minutes, with over half of it focused on the same melody played over and over and over. This might be off-putting at first, but the song eventually gets itself burrowed into your skull until it won't leave. After Gibbard's 30-some second piano intro, the track plods along with vocals (backing vox thanks to labelmate John Vanderslice, who adds some nice Juno synth to the track too). The song eventually coasts to a sadly beautiful guitar line that continues for...well...quite some time.

Basically, these are three great songs that might take some getting used to. If you don't enjoy anything that isn't "peppy," then steer clear of this EP. Anyone else will probably be rewarded with a collection of songs that serve as a great counterpoint to Death Cab's faster material.

I bought this cd after I had listened to and/or bought all of Death Cab for Cutie's full-length releases. I was a little tentative after reading some lukewarm and even bored customer reviews of it, and after listening, I can see why they feel that way. But, for the rest of you patient fans, this is a pretty good EP. I wondered why it cost so much for a 3-track cd (even some singles have more songs than that) and I found the answer in the 12 minute-long "Stability." The songs:
1. "20th Century Towers": Ultimate slo-core! This reminds me of "State Street Residential" for some reason, but it doesn't drag a bit. DCFC's slow songs are always my favorite, because there's beauty in the simple arrangements. Ben's lyrics are always so fitting and oddly moving, as is his fragile voice. The guitar lines are wonderful- they are melodic, but not in the least sugary. The chorus outburst "all around!" was pretty sneaky, though, haha.
2. "All is Full of Love": The DRUMS!! I'm not a fan of Bjork and I haven't heard any of her songs (including the original) but I found this song pleasantly mystic. The mood is a little different from anything DCFC would do and there's a majestic build-up. I like how Ben and the other band member exchange lines. The best part is at the climax, when the everyone drops out but Ben. His voice is so convicting! Might I mention, you'll be singing the line "all is full of love" in your sleep.
3. "Stability": At first, I wasn't too impressed. However, I found the wonder in this song after a few listens. The chorus reminds me a lot of "Prove My Hypothesis." But after, maybe 7 minutes, it just trails off and gently nudges my interest away..
So, buy this if you like pensive, indie, Low-type music. Really buy this if you like Death Cab For Cutie's "We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes." Buy this next if you need to complete your DCFC collection. Buy this with your last [$]. Don't buy this if you only like radio-friendly music.

This is frankly not the strongest EP I've ever heard, certainly not as good as forbidden love. All is full of love is good on one level (it's a damn good song) but also disapointing in that the band didn't really do anything too creative with it. still a good listen though.

of the originals I found 20th century towers more enjoyable than stability. stability is the first time I ever found myself growing impatient with a deatcab song.

bottom line, not an essential EP

This is without a doubt the best bit of Death Cab you can have on a cd. While only being 3 songs, it is perfect. The first two are fantastic and I'm not going to say much about them. I don't see why any Death Cab fan wouldn't like them. The third song, and in my opinion the best Death Cab song ever, is something it seems people like to hate. It's over 12 minutes and most of it is the same riff repeated over and over again. At first this may seem ridiculous and boring, but I assure that it gets better the more you listen to it. It's such a beautiful line and I feel it could go on forever and it still would be okay. Give the song (and the rest of the EP) a chance.

Slow-burning tribute from Deathcab produces surprisingly tender results, broken up nicely by the up-tempo Bjork cover, also done nicely. Probably not a favorite of some fans due to the minimalist nature, but given the sensitive refrain from faster paced material, some very under appreciated work. The very disdain for the extended instrumental of the Stability proves that many fans are holding prejudice, as the track displays nary a hint of pretentiousness, possibly holding more promise for those that do not belong to this rabid fanbase.

This EP is very curious in that most of the trademarks of Death Cab's sound are nowhere to be found. I can't say that I know that Bjork song that they've covered, but in general, I don't care much for Death Cab's cover songs because they tend to play them as fans, rather than playing them as if they were Death Cab songs. 20th Century Towers is a fairly forgettable number, and while Stability is a good song, now that we have a more concise reworking available on Plans (The Stable Song), its lost a bit of its sheen.

If you love everything Death Cab has done, there's probably something for you here. But if you're looking for an entry into what the big deal with these guys is all about, I would start with something else.

This EP is overpriced for the 3 songs on it. "20th Century Towers" is a slow song with a meandering sound which doesn't get very interesting. The Bjork cover, "All Is Full Of Love", is the one really good song here. I haven't heard the original so I can't compare the two versions; this version has a nice drumbeat in the background with guitarwork and vocals that build up to a crescendo. The song "Stability" is a much longer and slightly quieter version of "Stable Song" which was included later on the album "Plans". The lyrics and music are the same although the style and length vary greatly. Personally I prefer "Stable Song", which is just short of 4 minutes; "Stability" is over 12 minutes. The lyrics are repeated a second time in a dreamy style and after the vocal portion is done the repeated guitar chord with a simple drumbeat goes on for almost 5 minutes with occasional guitar distortion. Is it a nice guitar chord? Yes, but the lengthy repetition can get boring; although I guess it could be good if you're looking for background music to mellow out to. For the most part this EP is only good for those wanting to complete their Death Cab for Cutie collection; otherwise, they have many albums and EPs which are far better than this one.

I really enjoyed this EP, I being a big Death Cab For Cutie and Bjork fan. I thought 20th Century Towers was really excellent, but my favourite song has to be the cover of Bjork's All Is Full Of Love. I love the original, and I thought they transformed the dreamy string arrangements into an indie rock song perfectly. The drums absolutely made the song. Stability is a good song, but I can seeit dragging after repeated listenings. All in all, a great introduction to a wonderful band.