mp3:It’s All About Us

mp3:Desert Eagle [All I Want For Christmas Remix]

Dear The American Analog Set,

So as you might have heard, I recently broke up with Death Cab for Cutie. I mean, have you heard Plans? I think it might win “most likely for Rob to skip when a song from it plays on his ipod while on shuffle”. A while back I was so in love with Death Cab, they really could do no wrong in my eyes — during this love affair and a love affair of another sorts, I bought Andrew’s (Kinney, your lead singer) split with Ben Gibbard. I hadn’t heard much of his stuff and to be quite honest, I thought the whole cd tilted towards the Ben camp. Andrew seemed to be the younger brother, who was doing it just to be cool, but severely lacked the skills to make a noticeable effort. At the time Death Cab’s “Line of Best Fit” was one of the greatest songs ever — and as a result, Andrew’s attempt to cover it seemed a little too much like William Hung (and his Hung jury).

However, my eyes have been opened. I am by no means saying that your efforts are perfect. When I first heard The Golden Band, it seemed to be a little spotty. Some of the songs, are drowned out by your nearly inaudible whisper. Others get sucked away by the repetition of words and music. But then I heard “It’s All About Us”. And although this song starts out with the signature reverb drenched whisper, and repetitive verses, it somehow manages to build up energy into a locomotive. And once it attains its final speed, it just kind of hangs out there and enjoys the ride. Looking back, I think that is the thing that I love about the band — those killer jams. While death cab has moved away from the jangly jams of “No Joy in Mudville” (one of my favorite songs) and into the poppiest of choruses in “Crooked Teeth” (least favorite), you guys have remained constant in your jamming. And I salute you in your consistency.

Regards,

Rob

buy The Golden Band

buy Updates