Customer Reviews

I Will Possess Your Heart (Album Version)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Death Cab for Cutie's first new release since the woefully overappreciated "Plans" is a statement to fans old and new: change is coming. And, after "Plans", I couldn't imagine any change but for the better. The very fact that their first single clocks in at a little over eight and a half minutes says to me that "we won't let the execs get their way with this album". After all, a single so long (although it is easily cut into a four minute pop song) is not exactly an executive's dream come true. That simple fact gives me a great deal of hope for the rest of the album.

But beyond the statement, how does the song itself hold up? Well, that's not an easy question. First we are given around four minutes of intro and build, which in and of itself is neither good nor bad; rather, what is done with that time determines its quality. And, sadly, what is done isn't very much. The song starts off sounding like a cut right off of "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", which immediately gave me high hopes, as I think Wilco is arguably the most original contemporary band in the States. Gibbard at the electric piano lays down a nice progression, which will later come back as the "hook" of the instrumental portion of the song. The bassline comes in momentarily, bubbly and almost a hook unto itself; the drums are crisp, but fairly standard rock fare. Walla's guitar is dreamy and dark at the same time, fading in and out and subtly adding to the texture of the song. However, once we have all four instruments in play, nothing really changes. The sound becomes denser, but the bassline is static, as are the drums. Although the bassline is a nice one, it's not eight minutes worth of nice. And the drums, although occasionally McGerr throws a little color in, are nothing compared to the experimental, shambolic drumline of "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart". The keyboard and guitar are more interesting - especially the keyboard, which continually edges toward Wilco's style, though never quite meeting it - but even so, to me the first four minutes of this song are Wilco without the teeth. It's still nice, but there's not much to it.

Then comes a break, and Gibbard's voice cuts through the lull: "How I wish you could see the potential, the potential of you and me." What follows is an almost macabre song about a man who is obsessed with a woman to the point of perhaps even stalking her ("There are days when outside your window, I see my reflection as I slowly pass / And I long for this mirrored perspective, when we'll be lovers, lovers at last"). The incessant repeating of the refrain ("You gotta spend some time, love, you gotta spend some time with me / And I know that you'll find, love, I will possess your heart") lends to this obsessive, overpowering feeling of possessiveness and to the creepy atmosphere - after all, the idea of actually possessing someone's heart is a little more than a normal person would desire. However, although I understand the intellectual reason for the repetition of the refrain, it's a little too much, and a song already threatening repetitiveness just crosses the line because of it. Finally we come to the bridge, which I believe is one of Gibbard's greatest strengths; often his songs hinge on the bridge, which has the most vivid imagery and paints the rest of the song around it. In this bridge, which is somewhat lackluster musically and not particularly special, the narrator cries, "You reject my advances and desperate pleas / I won't let you, let me down so easily" in keeping with the possessive, eerie tone to the song. The man in the song is clearly disturbed and obsessed with a girl that wants nothing to do with him. I'm actually left worrying about this girl's safety at the end of the song. And I say, more power to Ben Gibbard for writing lyrics that aren't simple confessionals. So many songwriters have taken the confessional route for so long, which is one of the things that made it so difficult for the legendary songwriters Randy Newman and Warren Zevon to hit the mainstream, even though they're two of the greatest songwriters of the second half of the twentieth century (and into the twenty first, although Zevon left us in 2004). I think it's a bold move to enter into a character narrative and I applaud Gibbard for doing so. In fact, it's one of the reasons I have such high hopes for the album as a whole.

Although there's a lot to be hesitant about in this first release, more than anything it shows positive growth, exuberance, experimentation, and just a little bit of balls. Even though I gave the song only three stars, it's because I believe this song could have been so much better; especially the introduction and build. I feel that it was wasted time when Death Cab could have made a bold statement with it. The lyrics are interesting, and I applaud Gibbard for taking up a character's voice instead of his own, but the imagery ("it's like a book elegantly bound but in a language that you can't read just yet") is sub-par for Gibbard, even when he retains that way he curves lyrics around music and finishes lines right when you wouldn't expect. When all's said and done, I have high hopes, not only for "Narrow Stairs", but for the band that I so came to enjoy in the last five years whose future I questioned after "Plans". Critics are calling this album a "return to form", and I can only hope that they're right.

I first heard this song on the band's myspace and I was blown away. Death Cab for Cutie has not failed me yet, and I am highly anticipating their next album (Narrow Stairs) due out May 13. This song has one of the best build ups I have ever heard. And, of course, the listener gets swept away by Gibbard's voice. He blends his voice beautifully with the music. Nick Harmer finally gets to shine with his bass skills and Nathan Good doesn't bore us with a boring drum beat. He actually does an interesting beat, such as the one in the song The New Year. When I first heard this it reminded me of their song Transatlantacism beacuase of how much music was in it contrasting to their normal vocal filled songs. Don't listen to this expecting to love it if your just a fan of Ben Gibbard, be a fan of the band and their music and you will love it.

Being a fan of Gibbard and all his projects (bands) I was rediculously excited for this single and it didn't dissapoint. To be honest, his voice is what draws myself and I'm sure most of his fans to whatever he does and on this track, he not only uses that to his advantage,but artfully to express meaning into the song.
The band weaves a great intro, that holds your interest while laying down one of the best baselines in recent memory and then after 4 mins of making you wait, Ben chimes in and gives you what you want. The whole intro is a metaphor for the song, the tune will force you to love it, before you even get to hear the hook.

We all know how Death Cab has grown over time.. they started out really edgy and indie and when Plans came around it was pretty commercial and mainstream - maybe a little too mainstream, but still really good and entertaining! Anyway, I think this single is a really great balance between the two extremes and it really shows the creativity of the band and how they've gotten to the point where they've established themselves as amazing musicians and are now open to try new things.

All in all, this is a great lead in to the new album and I cannot WAIT for Narrow Stairs!!!!

I remember seeing Death Cab playing down in the little clubs in LA before they really broke big and they have really managed to keep their artistic integrity and lo-fi sound intact over the years, despite the fact that they are making more commercial albums these days.

This song in particular is a great example - I'm sure it will be on a bunch of mix-tapes over the coming years. It's very preservative (is that the right word?) of their unique sound, with clever (if a bit over sentimental) lyrics and a great pop hook. My only criticism is that the extended intro seems really self-indulgent. The radio version is probably a better way to. Just my opinion.

It's not Deathcab's best song by far. The first half is just music and the second half is dull sining. Not a good start for Deathcab.

WOW.
This song is fantastically amazing..!
When I first downloaded it, even though the first 4:35 is just music, I was still so happy just to hear new Death Cab... then came the glorious lyrics!
So for the next four minutes, I just sat there and fell in love all over again...
It's like the song says... You gotta spend some time, love... I will Possess Your Heart.
And Death Cab DOES possess my heart<3

I highly recommend any and all Death Cab For Cutie songs =]

When I first heard this song, I was really impressed. It was a mainstream rock radio song that sounded indie. The vocals were clearly something in the vain of The Weakerthans, who excellently craft their songs around those vocals. The lyrics and structure were also indie sounding. And then the long drawn-out first-half instrumental portion of the song was weird, and probably more suited for the end of the track, but still funky nonetheless. I actually kind of wish the instrumental portion was its own track, because I actually loved it as a sort-of easy listening, surreal driving music. Going-down-the-rabbit-hole music.

But if you find the radio version, you eliminate the instrumental portion of the song. But the lyrical portion is when the song really takes off. As I said, the vocals, the lyrics, the music, all work very well together, and really make the song sort-of surreal in feeling. But it's the sort of feeling you keep wanting to come back to. I guess you could describe the song as Modern New Age.

So overall, an instant classic and a surprising song to say the least. With it's surreal awesomeness, this is an original song that possesses my musical soul, making it, Modern New Age.

Great song. Narrow Stairs has much potential for greatness. This track has a long uptempo Stability type intro which evolves to a wonderfully textured song. It grows on you, as does much of the DCFC catalog. Thank you to Radiohead and Death Cab for putting out great music that I still get excited about. I hope we'll get get more music soon, so we don't have to wait for May.

This is the kind of song you want to play late at night while you're trying desperately to finish your project that's due 9AM tomorrow morning.