4 out of 5 stars

Artist: Death Cab For CutieAlbum: Narrow StairsRelease date: May 13Label: Atlantic

It happens to every Indie band that signs to a major label– Backlash, accusations of selling out and, occasionally, the lackluster album review. The fact of the matter is when most of these bands sign to major labels, their sounds don’t change and neither does the quality of their music.

Such was the case with Death Cab For Cutie when it announced in late 2004 that it had signed to major label Atlantic Records.

I cannot tell you how many times I heard the line “I don’t think it’s that good,” in reference to the band’s first album for Atlantic, 2005’s Plans. The fact of the matter is that Plans was a great album full of great songs, from the majesty of opening track “Marching Bands of Manhattan” to heartfelt closer “Stable Song.” The only thing that changed was that the music was getting out to more people. On Narrow Stairs, its second album for Atlantic, Death Cab continues, for the most part, to put out great songs. The opening song “Bixby Canyon Bridge” begins with lead singer Ben Gibbard’s gentle voice singing of a lost love over twinkling guitars and atmospheric organ. At about the two-minute mark, thudding drums and bass kick in and the guitars go from drifting to stomping. From there, the band kicks into one of the most rocking grooves it’s ever laid on tape.

“Bixby Canyon Bridge” is followed by lead single “I Will Possess Your Heart.” In this song, the band locks into a groove of steady bass and drumming, echoing piano, and drifting guitar. The song finally adds some vocals around the four-minute mark with the music staying basically the same. Aside from being maybe a few minutes too long, the song stands as fairly decent.

Next, Death Cab kicks into retrospect mode, mixing songs that sound like they could’ve been from different parts of the band’s career. The poppy, upbeat “No Sunlight” sounds like it could’ve been on The Photo Album, while the sad lyrics and stark tone of “Talking Bird” don’t sound too far removed from Plans‘s darker songs.

“Cath” and “Your New Twin Sized Bed” are the clear standout tracks though. “Cath,” a song about an unhappy marriage, is full of chiming guitars and a melody that revive vintage Death Cab, while in “Your New Twin Sized Bed,” Gibbard sings of a breakup over music that sounds like it was lifted off the band’s own We Have The Facts And We’re Voting Yes. While most of the album is enjoyable, there a few songs where the band tries to experiment and winds up sounding flat. The Beach Boys-esque instrumentation of “You Can Do Better Than Me” just sounds out of place, while the addition of sitar and Indian percussion of “Pity and Fear” makes it sound like the band is just trying too hard to be different.

Overall, however, Narrow Stairs stands as another great album for the band that both longtime fans and new listeners should enjoy.