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Editorial Reviews
2009 EP from the Indie favorites containing four new tracks and one unreleased demo. The band's platinum selling album Plans was a huge success, which came after their DVD collection Directions, which sold over 30,000 copies. Following up those was no easy task, but Narrow Stairs has already been praised by MTV.com as the band's most daring and adventurous effort to date. Now, although the four new tracks are a little different from those on the last album, The Open Door can be considered a companion piece to Narrow Stairs.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This EP is quite a surprise. All 5 tracks are of such high quality, they would be standouts on any Death Cab album. I'm not sure these could be considered "Narrow Stairs" leftovers due to their slightly different production values (but the artwork seems to suggest its a companion to the album, so maybe they are.) Maybe the next album is too far off and they wanted us to get some new tracks, but these would be highlights in ANY bands catalog, so to toss them off on an EP is quite impressive.
"Little Bribes" is one of the most upbeat songs Ben has ever composed. "A Diamond and a Tether" could be a single. It's a real knock out track. "My Mirror Speaks" is maybe the least memorable of the 5 tracks here, but it's still a very good song. Reminds me of another DCFC song I can't quite put my finger on. "I Was Once a Loyal Lover" sounds like a fleshed out All-Time Quarterback song. Really catchy. "Talking Bird" is supposedly a demo, but sounds much better than the album version. The instrumention here really brings out the melody, which is primarily a vocal melody anyways.
A very strong EP that should be purchased by all fans of this outstanding band.
"Little Bribes" is one of the most upbeat songs Ben has ever composed. "A Diamond and a Tether" could be a single. It's a real knock out track. "My Mirror Speaks" is maybe the least memorable of the 5 tracks here, but it's still a very good song. Reminds me of another DCFC song I can't quite put my finger on. "I Was Once a Loyal Lover" sounds like a fleshed out All-Time Quarterback song. Really catchy. "Talking Bird" is supposedly a demo, but sounds much better than the album version. The instrumention here really brings out the melody, which is primarily a vocal melody anyways.
A very strong EP that should be purchased by all fans of this outstanding band.
20 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It's been nearly a year since the boys of Death Cab have released any new material. Last years 'Narrow Stairs' peaked the Billboard Top 100 at number one in May, yet garnered mixed reviews from both fans and critics alike. This new EP works as a sort of a 'companion piece' for Narrow Stairs, and is made up of songs that were recorded during the Narrow Stairs sessions, but just didn't 'fit' with the flow of the album. Not including these songs on the album was a good move, in my opinion. That's not saying that this EP is bad, though. The songs work well together, despite their inconsistency.
The album opens with one of the funnest and, dare I say it, blues inspired songs that Death Cab has ever created. 'Little Bribes' is an all around winner, in my book. Gibbard is at his most clever lyrically on this track. You won't be able to help yourself from smiling as he croons, "And you pretend every slot machine is a robot amputee waving hello, as the people stare into their eyes and feed them little bribes, and then they go...". Walla and company are also in prime form in the song. The guitars compliment the drums exceptionally well. McGerr is at his most straight-forward here, as a percussionist. Nothing flashy or technical, just simple and flowing. Not many drummers can pull of what he does as well as he can. Kudos.
'A Diamond And A Tether' seems to be a lot of peoples least favorite track on the album. I have no clue why. Sure it's the most depressing and self-examining, but isn't that what the fans expect (and want) from Death Cab? I know that's what has kept me coming back for all these years. This may be my current favorite, and the only one of the five tracks that I think would have fit nicely on Narrow Stairs. The next track, 'My Mirror Speaks', is probably the most impressive vocally for Gibbard. He displays some amazing falsetto in the chorus, and a pretty infectious groove throughout the entire song. The drums and guitar are also at their best, here. All that aside though, it sort of feels like a song that won't stick with you for very long, and just feels like an average Death Cab track. Which are still very good, mind you.
'I Was Once A Loyal Lover' is by far the most "pop" song included on the album. It displays some very impressive bass work, courtesy of Mr. Jason Harmer, and some pretty sweet 'fuzzy' guitar distortion from Walla...but it all just comes across as kind of weak and average. Still not a bad song, just not an excellent one. They decided to end this little piece of work with a demo version of 'Talking Bird'. Talking Bird is one of my favorites from Narrow Stairs, so I was pretty excited when I saw a demo would be included. On here, it's just Gibbard and a ukelele. I don't think it's quite as powerful as the full band version, but that may be just me. A lot of people seem to disagree. I still get chills as he sings, "It's all here for you, as long as you choose to stay. It's all her for you, as long as you don't fly away." A great ending line for an album, if you ask me.
In conclusion I would like to say that this is FAR from Death Cabs' best work, but still worth shelling out a few bucks for if you're a hardcore fan. ONLY if you're a hardcore fan, I should say. If you are interested in getting into this wonderful band, I would suggest picking yourself up a copy of 'Transatlaticism' or 'Plans'. I still believe 'Photo Album' is their best work, just not the best to start out with. Enjoy this little gem of an EP, but just hope their next full length CD will further expand on this new sound, and refine it.
The album opens with one of the funnest and, dare I say it, blues inspired songs that Death Cab has ever created. 'Little Bribes' is an all around winner, in my book. Gibbard is at his most clever lyrically on this track. You won't be able to help yourself from smiling as he croons, "And you pretend every slot machine is a robot amputee waving hello, as the people stare into their eyes and feed them little bribes, and then they go...". Walla and company are also in prime form in the song. The guitars compliment the drums exceptionally well. McGerr is at his most straight-forward here, as a percussionist. Nothing flashy or technical, just simple and flowing. Not many drummers can pull of what he does as well as he can. Kudos.
'A Diamond And A Tether' seems to be a lot of peoples least favorite track on the album. I have no clue why. Sure it's the most depressing and self-examining, but isn't that what the fans expect (and want) from Death Cab? I know that's what has kept me coming back for all these years. This may be my current favorite, and the only one of the five tracks that I think would have fit nicely on Narrow Stairs. The next track, 'My Mirror Speaks', is probably the most impressive vocally for Gibbard. He displays some amazing falsetto in the chorus, and a pretty infectious groove throughout the entire song. The drums and guitar are also at their best, here. All that aside though, it sort of feels like a song that won't stick with you for very long, and just feels like an average Death Cab track. Which are still very good, mind you.
'I Was Once A Loyal Lover' is by far the most "pop" song included on the album. It displays some very impressive bass work, courtesy of Mr. Jason Harmer, and some pretty sweet 'fuzzy' guitar distortion from Walla...but it all just comes across as kind of weak and average. Still not a bad song, just not an excellent one. They decided to end this little piece of work with a demo version of 'Talking Bird'. Talking Bird is one of my favorites from Narrow Stairs, so I was pretty excited when I saw a demo would be included. On here, it's just Gibbard and a ukelele. I don't think it's quite as powerful as the full band version, but that may be just me. A lot of people seem to disagree. I still get chills as he sings, "It's all here for you, as long as you choose to stay. It's all her for you, as long as you don't fly away." A great ending line for an album, if you ask me.
In conclusion I would like to say that this is FAR from Death Cabs' best work, but still worth shelling out a few bucks for if you're a hardcore fan. ONLY if you're a hardcore fan, I should say. If you are interested in getting into this wonderful band, I would suggest picking yourself up a copy of 'Transatlaticism' or 'Plans'. I still believe 'Photo Album' is their best work, just not the best to start out with. Enjoy this little gem of an EP, but just hope their next full length CD will further expand on this new sound, and refine it.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Death Cab has been on a roll for sure. Their "Narrow Stairs" album crashed in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart last May, and they have toured a lot since then, with great acclaim. Now, almost a year later, the band comes back with an EP.
"The Open Room EP" (5 tracks; 17 min.) brings 4 new tracks that the band recorded at the sessions of the "Narrow Stairs" album but somehow felt where not worthy of/compatible with the rest of the album. "Little Bribes" crashes in as if you were in the middle of an album, and it sounds great. "A Diamond and a Tether" is unremarkable, if pleasant. By far the best track on here is "My Mirror Speaks", an irresistible hum-along, with clapping hands, and the EP is worth buying just for this. "I Once Was a Loyal Lover" is equally great. It's hard to see why most of these tracks were deemed "unworthy" of or "incompatible" for being included on the "Narrow Stairs" album, frankly. The last track is a demo-version of "Talking Bird", just Ben Gibbard and his guitar, and it's actually much better than the album version on "Narrow Stairs".
In all, this is a great companion release to the great "Narrow Stairs" album. I saw DCFC in concert again just this past weekend, and they were in fantastic form. They played 3 of the 4 new songs from this EP and it sounded great. In all, "The Open Door EP" is a must-have for any DCFC fan.
"The Open Room EP" (5 tracks; 17 min.) brings 4 new tracks that the band recorded at the sessions of the "Narrow Stairs" album but somehow felt where not worthy of/compatible with the rest of the album. "Little Bribes" crashes in as if you were in the middle of an album, and it sounds great. "A Diamond and a Tether" is unremarkable, if pleasant. By far the best track on here is "My Mirror Speaks", an irresistible hum-along, with clapping hands, and the EP is worth buying just for this. "I Once Was a Loyal Lover" is equally great. It's hard to see why most of these tracks were deemed "unworthy" of or "incompatible" for being included on the "Narrow Stairs" album, frankly. The last track is a demo-version of "Talking Bird", just Ben Gibbard and his guitar, and it's actually much better than the album version on "Narrow Stairs".
In all, this is a great companion release to the great "Narrow Stairs" album. I saw DCFC in concert again just this past weekend, and they were in fantastic form. They played 3 of the 4 new songs from this EP and it sounded great. In all, "The Open Door EP" is a must-have for any DCFC fan.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nice Ep
Its a short album (duh) but it has a few songs I was unable to get elsewhere. My mirror speaks is a fantastic song, and I think one of the better from Death Cab.
Published 9 days ago by John 'The book reviewer' Shane
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great album!
This album is a good showcase of what Death Cab for Cutie is about. A definite must have for any Death Cab fan.
Published 3 months ago by Maria
5.0 out of 5 stars
All good songs
I immediatley liked all songs back when I bought this a few years ago. I recently lost the CD and was pretty upset, but then Amazon put all the music on my Cloud player- so glad... Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Ramey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Change is okay
First, I give this the full five stars in comparison to contemporary music in general. On a Death Cab only scale, it would receive a three. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Actinograph
3.0 out of 5 stars
Imprecise pressing
Fulfillment was fine on this order, but the record itself appears to suffer from the same issue as many modern, small-run pressings, in that it has issues. Read more
Published 16 months ago by S. Bouchard
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some of these tracks could have made Narrow Stairs DCfC's best album
"My Mirror Speaks" is a standout track. I feel it deserved a place on Narrow Stairs. While the rest of the tracks are great, that one is by far the best. Read more
Published on January 22, 2011 by Erik Starkman
5.0 out of 5 stars
emo ep
This is my first album from dcfc. I became familiar with dcfc from the radio. The first four songs are currently on my Ipod while I did not care for the 5th song. Read more
Published on February 27, 2010 by joelle
4.0 out of 5 stars
a special EP
typical DCFC- catchy hooks, clever lyrics and a little piece of angst. Not their finest work, but certainly their best EP since FORBIDDEN LOVE
Published on September 18, 2009 by Justn W. Price
5.0 out of 5 stars
Death Cab May Be Peaking
I'm not a Death Cab-listening Orange County-watching fanatic, but threw my hat in the ring a few years back with Transatlanticism. Read more
Published on August 27, 2009 by Corey Hagemann
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very Dull by Death Cab standards
This disc is a companion piece, which is good because it doesn't stand up very well on it's own. There is no innovation or much tonal interest to speak of here, as DCFC have... Read more
Published on July 18, 2009 by Molly B.
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