Thank You For Today is Death Cab For Cutie’s ninth studio album. The indie rockers who formed over 21 years ago in Bellingham, Washington shot to success after the release of Transatlantacism back in 2003, and, have been at the fore front of festival lineups as well as consistent coast to coast, and worldwide sell out tours ever since. The band is fronted by Ben Gibbard, with Nick Harmer on bass, Jason McGerr on drums, Dave Depper on guitar, and Zac Rae on keys. Wrapped up in the beauty of the stunning Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, NY, Death Cab for Cutie gave us their all for two hours with some choice pickings across their catalog.
Opening the night was Brooklyn natives Charly Bliss. The immediate energy was contagious, and as the crowd began to spill in from the foyer folks were quickly engaged. The power pop rock four piece fronted by Eva Hendricks gave a thrilling performance which included a Cyndi Lauper cover for good measure. Full on, non stop, high intensity. Superb.
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Opening their set with “I dreamt we spoke again” which is also the opening track from their new release Thank You For Today, Death Cab for Cutie were met with fever pitch fans who stood to welcome the band and then stayed on their feet for the next two hours. “Summer years” from the same record followed where Gibbard ponders “Sometimes I’m overcome, By every choice I couldn’t outrun, The junctions all disappear, You can’t double back to your summer years” The sound is ever evolving but the snaps that dragged us in once upon a time stays the same.
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“Crooked Teeth” and “What Sarah Said” from Death Cab’s 2005 release Plans came back to back later in the set, and, prompted the first sing a long of the night with fans crooning along with Gibbard through “What Sarah Said”, as he questioned “Who’s gonna watch you die”. Plans is where the sound truly developed and resonates down the spine of Thank You For Today. Death Cab have never strayed too far from it and why fix it if it ain’t broken.
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After skimming the surface of the catalog we were brought back to Thank You For Today with the closing track from the record “60 & Punk” which is not only the jewel of the album but one of the finest songs Gibbard has written in recent years. “I used to watch you on the late night scene, The timely rescue of a metal teen, Six strings were strumming rhythm and lead, And that hadn’t occurred to me” draws a beautiful image of adoration and coming of age followed by the painfully beautiful chorus “The curtain falls to applause and the band plays you off, the band plays you off, He’s a superhero growing bored with no one to save anymore.”
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The night closed out with “Cath”, “Soul Meets Body” and “Sound of Settling” and after a brief intermission Gibbard returned on his own with his acoustic guitar to give us “I will follow you into the dark”. The crowd were invited to sing the final chorus on their own and I think we nailed it.
The band rejoined for “Your hurricane,” “Tiny Vessels” and the grand finale “Transatlanticism.”
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The tour continues up and down the east coast until October 23rd (Charly Bliss opens all these dates).
www.deathcabforcutie.com for more info.
Thank You For Today is out now.
Article: Anthony Mulcahy
