Review Summary: There was so much I needed to say, and nothing came out the right way.
Death Cab for Cutie have, in recent years, become just another indie-pop band. Previous albums Codes and Keys and Kintsugi had their merits, but barring a couple of stellar songs, they were forgettable. It was worrying for fans who just wanted another release that shared the quality that made Transatlanticism and Plans so excellent.
The departure of Chris Walla after Kintsugi was recorded added more apprehension about future releases. His contribution was always noticed, not least in his production which was unerringly brilliant. It was difficult to think that Thank You For Today, Death Cab's ninth LP, would be anything other than what we have come to expect.
As a die hard defender of the Seattle five piece, it gave me great relief to discover that Thank You For Today does contain some of the greatness that made me fall in love with the band in the first place. Summer Years and Your Hurricane are fantastic songs and both show that Death Cab really do still have it in them to produce magic. Northern Lights is very radio friendly but it still has some emotional heart that sets it apart from the weaker tracks on the album. Near Far is predictable in the message it spreads but as a listener it's almost impossible not to bop your head along to the catchy synth line that permeates the chorus.
Unfortunately, the quality seems to stop there. Thank You For Today doesn't really do enough to captivate or enthral a listener, and that seems to come down to the vibe that they've tried to create with the album. Many of the songs are drenched in reverb to the point of absurdity, and there are some other odd production choices that drag the quality of the music down. The most notable of these is the way Ben Gibbard's vocals are produced. It sounds like the rest of the instrumentation was recorded with the best quality equipment possible, then the vocals were recorded into a thrift shop microphone. They're almost tinny, and sound autotuned throughout most of the tracks. I know for a fact that Gibbard has it in him to absolutely nail vocal performances at gigs, so it leads me to believe that this was a deliberate creative choice, and I can't say I think it was the right one.
The early releases of Gold Rush, I Dreamt We Spoke Again and Autumn Love didn't do much to dull the fears of another run-of-the-mill album, and it is possible to be put off by these songs alone. The former is catchy but bland and inoffensive. The vocal melodies of the latter two seem unfitting to the style of the music, and while the lyrics are more introspective than their most recent albums, they're still not excellent. These mediocre songs make it feel like there just isn't enough of the great on Thank You For Today to set it apart from the recent disappointing releases. 60 & Punk is an ode to an musical idol that has lost their way, and it is a rather poignant insight into what seems to have happened to Death Cab. Ironically, the closer is an absolutely beautiful song, with the bridge ending with the line
'Were you happier when you were poor'. Strangely fitting.
It's been ten years since Death Cab released Narrow Stairs, which many believe to be their last truly good album. Obviously bands change their sound, and you can't criticise for switching it up again on Thank You For Today. It's certainly a step up from Kintsugi, and I reckon it's going to be an album that is remembered fondly in the future. It's strange that the band chose the songs that they did to be singles, as they are probably the ones that are the most reminiscent of the bland filler that peppered Codes and Keys and Kintsugi. Unfortunately, the spacey, airy sound that they've introduced just doesn't fit the music that they've written, and it changes the overall sound of the album for the worse. Are they still just another indie-pop band? Maybe, but there's enough quality on Thank You For Today to make fans at least a little hopeful for the future.
