Many musicians' creativity is subject to dilution when mixed with fame and bulging wallets. Death Cab for Cutie have made some strong albums, notably Transatlanticism (their fifth) and Songs About Airplanes (their first). These albums exhibit a depth, subtlety, sincerity, and richness that DCFC haven't been able to tap into since. In the their last two albums (Plans and Narrow Stairs), they seem to be more concerned with being pop executioners than tender storytellers. Granted, none of their albums are truly breathtaking, but their particular brand of remorse-filled nostalgia struck a teenage chord that was hard to deny. Instead now we get songs like "I Was Once A Loyal Lover": undeniably bland college pop-rock. The lyrics have gone from poignant to dispassionate. The drums from adroit to dull.To be fair, DCFC are just trying to write decent little ditties that you can hum along to as you go from your home to your school/work and back again. Death Cab are a band fit for the suburban middle class, where your biggest problem is not having a date on Saturday night. But because they've proven they can throw more emotional weight around than this, I expect more than what can be found on the unfortunately underwhelming The Open Door EP. *Sigh*
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