- Wed, 2011-05-25 12:39
Multi Grammy-nominated quartet Death Cab For Cutie have just released their seventh album Codes & Keys through Atlantic Records. Having formed in Washington in 1997 the band have gone on to affect a global audience with their take on the traditional forms of indie-rock, combining melancholic sentiments, guitar led compositions and heavy hearts with dashes of hope in all that they create.
I Like Music caught up with frontman Ben Gibbard to chat about Codes & Keys; the emotional reference points within the new record, recording and streaming the music video for You Are A Tourist live, listening to Richard Hawley and why, seven records on, the band are still together.
"I Like Music because… a world without it would not be worth living in.” Ben Gibbard, Death Cab For Cutie
ILM: You've just released your seventh studio album Codes & Keys, how are you feeling about the record now it's done?
Ben: We’re playing our first show tonight, here in Seattle, and I’m really excited about it. I’m really enjoying the record and I’m kind of hoping that people do as well. I feel like there’s certainly new territory for us on this record, I think it will be interesting to see how people react to it. I don’t think it’s such a far out thing that people won’t be able to wrap their heads around it though, you know?
ILM: Yes. It does feel less guitar centric than your previous records, was that a conscious decision? How did those new, more synthetic sounds weave their way into the process?
Ben: Every record we make is a function of the song that I’ve written or that Chris has written - this time he co-wrote a couple of songs with me. We go in the studio and try to capture the songs as best we can. Songs written on electric guitar, that have riffs and are more guitar centric, will be recorded in that fashion. But with this record, a lot of the songs that I brought in were a little more open ended. Less like Narrow Stairs I think, certainly less than I expected. Chris has been working a lot with analog synths and has been really enjoying creating these particular ambiances with his recording, subconsciously I guess we ended up marrying those elements together. Every record we make sort of shows itself over time. We don't really make a conscious decision to make a particular type of record, it's kind of like the record makes us.
ILM: How would you describe the key themes and emotions in Codes and Keys?
Ben: I feel it’s much more emotionally balanced than Narrow Stairs. There’s certainly some darkness on the record, but there’s a lot more light and hope. To me, records like Narrow Stairs are about being emotion, they’re about disappointment and leaving, in the metaphorical and physical sense. I think with this record there’s much more of an emotion of re-defining home and finding a particular sense of one’s self, in a place other than where you thought you’d find it.
ILM: The music video for You Are A Tourist, shot in one continuous take and streamed live was amazing to watch!
Ben: Oh, thank you!
ILM: How did you find that experience? Were you nervous?
Ben: It was really fun. I have to say, so much of the concept was our friend and collaborator Aaron Stewart-Ahn, it was his idea. Plus, Tim Nackashi did such a great job putting together the whole spectacle. I was nervous in the same way that I was nervous the first time we did national TV, because you knew it was all happening in one full swoop, so my adrenaline was really rushing. But soon as we were done, you know, it was done, I was up! I was really excited about how great the experience was.
ILM: You're also running a competition with Codes & Keys involving the RedLaser phone app - digital scanning of barcodes. The band seem to be embracing a lot of new, digital territory...
Ben: Certainly new technology has done some damage to how musicians make a living, but it’s also allowed us these new horizons, we can do things that we would never have dreamed of before. I mean, our band is somewhat successful, but if we’d gone to MTV or VH1 and said 'we want to do a live video on your airwaves', they would never have said yes. The thing with technology, particularly with this video, is that we didn't have to answer to anybody or any network, we didn't have to go through traditional lines of communication to get this thing done, we could just do it. Of course, it wasn’t quite as simple as that, we still had to pay for the thing, which involved us taking on sponsors. That's part of what we had to do to make it happen. But it was totally worth it! We were able to capture this idea in a way we'd never have been able to do if we’d just been this free floating band...
ILM: Looking back over your time in Death Cab For Cutie, what have been some of the most memorable moments?
Ben: I always come back to what has always been the greatest moment in this band for me; the first time we headlined Crocodile Café in Seattle. It's a relatively small club here, it was like '98 and we sold the club out. It was just this moment where… well...growing up as a teenager, I dreamed of going to see shows at this place. All my favourite bands played there and I was too young to go, it was where real bands played., you know, real established bands went and played. Then we played this show and sold it out. It really re-defined what I saw as being possible for our music and our band. It had a really profound effect on me. At that show I thought ‘we can actually do this, this is a real thing, we’re not just goofing around here, we’re not just a local band’. I also met Peter Buck (guitarist and co-founder of R.E.M.) for the first time that night. He was one of my idols growing up. Having him compliment our show and tell me how much he liked our record – you know, I was 22 or 23 at the time, it just blew my mind. I’d been listening to him since I was 13 years old. Those two moments within that day cemented that show as the most important show I feel we've ever played.
ILM: What do you look forward to the most about playing live?
Ben: I think we’re all kind of chasing the magic onstage. There are some shows that are terrible, all the way to shows that are really good or great. But there are some shows where you just feel like you’re flying, everything is clicking, the audience are great, they're into it, you’re feeling good, you feel like you’re really embodying the songs. It’s kind of a magical experience, a somewhat spiritual experience when that happens. When we're off in some deep, dark part of the world, away from family, loved ones, home and everything, having one of those shows just reinforces why you’re out there doing it, you know?
ILM: We know the band are all huge music fans, Nick has put together a fantastic playlist for the site! What have you been listening to recently?
Ben: We are yeah. Chris kind of turned me onto this guy – I hadn’t been into it much before, but I’ve been really, totally blown away by the last Richard Hawley record.
ILM: Cool...
Ben: The guy is such a great songwriter, he’s got such a great voice and the production on the record is phenomenal. That song Remorse Code is ten minutes long and I never get sick of it, I just love, love, love that record.
ILM: It was interesting to hear you describe the band as 'somewhat successful' earlier in the interview... You're on your seventh studio album, which is a huge achievement for any band. What is it that has kept Death Cab For Cutie together so long? What keeps you making music?
Ben: It’s just what I always wanted to do. I feel that this band has continued to make records because we genuinely enjoy each other’s company and love playing music together. I think with any creative endeavor, it’s very easy to look at the macro view, like 'this band made this record, then did this and it meant this to these people, this is their seventh record, what keeps them going, what's next?' And at the end of the day, it’s me in a room writing songs and four of us in a room recording those songs. That’s what I enjoy the most out of all this stuff. I mean, I’m enjoying speaking with you, but I don’t necessarily enjoy doing the press. I don’t enjoy doing photographs. All of the things that surround the band, that involve promoting the music, they are not the things that I enjoy...And let me just restate that I am really enjoying speaking with you...
ILM: Haha! I understand...
Ben: I am, I am. But really, I do what I do because I genuinely love writing songs and playing music with my three best friends. I love playing shows to people who love this music and it’s worth all of the things that you have to do – it’s worth meeting with the label, talking about the singles, doing photo shoots, going to talk to radio stations. It’s not really my favorite part of it, but I realise that that’s what you get paid for (laughs), you wouldn't normally do those things if you had a choice, but you’re doing it because it allows you to keep making music and that’s what I love doing the most.
Guest Edit #38: Death Cab For Cutie Take a look here
