Codes And Keys

An exception that never became a rule

After the release of Narrow Stairs in 2008, Death Cab For Cutie involuntarily slit their audience approximately in two halves. Those from the first category welcomed warmly the considerably heavier and darker sound of the album and express their wish that this music be the core for the band’s following efforts. Members of the other group supposed that the musicians should not have taken radical measures like that. It turned out that the experiment remained nothing but an experiment. Three years later, Death Cab For Cutie presented their new studio full-length CD where they showed no sign of continuing what they started on Narrow Stairs. The rockers put it quite clear that they were going to drop some guitars and replace them with a greater portion of synthesizers. The main initiator of this move was one of the band’s primary creators, Chris Walla, who also took up producing duties. While preparing this album, Death Cab For Cutie repeatedly moved from city to city, once even staying in Canada. After several weeks of traveling and inspired labor, the musicians came back to their listeners with one of the most powerful works in their utter discography.

Hot electronica

Having stated that their upcoming studio work was going to be based on electronic music with its rooted running deep into the seventies, Walla was right to anticipate skeptic arguments of those who believe that music produced by synthesizers is too cold, particularly if compared to that hot rock stuff made with live instruments. Well, he assured that Codes And Keys would be able to prove them wrong. The CD starts to surprise right from the beginning with Home Is A Fire, having little with typical number ones. Penetrating and fragrant vocals entwine piano breeding a powerful and emotional song making listeners eager to listen on and on. The musicians refused to do one and the same trick all over the album. Codes And Keys has tracks which are very difficult to perform, like Some Boys, or You Are A Tourist. And it also features songs where everything seems pretty plain and simple, but under the layer of synths one finds a fascinating sea of feelings. One of them is, certainly, a ballad piece called Unobstructed Views, the one that could be just another love song, but managed to turn into a memorably and integral work of art.

A very special album for the band itself

Codes And Keys is a very important album for Death Cab For Cutie themselves as the preparation of the record involved, albeit to different extents, contributions by all the members of the band. It is highly likely that they were so much encouraged by things having nothing to do with music. Shortly before they began their work on the album, two of them got married, another one had a son born, and the fourth moved to another house. This coincidence of lucky events charged the whole bunch of musicians with huge song-writing and performing potential. Death Cab For Cutie are well-known for staying loyal to their musical roots and still making all of their albums different. And Codes And Keys is not an exception. The focus on the study of capabilities of synthesized music allowed the band to produce songs so much different in structure and so rich in mood. It would be an exaggeration to call this work the undoubtedly number one in the Death Cab For Cutie catalogue, but we will not lie if we put it among the band’s highlights ever.