A big label might take Death Cab home
By Malcolm Mayhew
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
One of two things eventually happens to indie-rock bands: They forever drift in and out of ramshackle clubs, content with discontent. Or their popularity ruptures into monolithic proportions, and it grows and grows and grows until signing to a major label isn't so much the right thing to do as it is the only thing to do.
Seattle quartet Death Cab for Cutie is feeling its way around the ambiguous gray area that connects and separates these two fates: They have a killer new record, industry buzz and one of the most devout, know-every-word fan bases this side of Dashboard Confessional -- a formula that makes them appetizing bait for a major label.
Unlike some indie-rock bands, who rip up contracts before they even read the fine print, Death Cab isn't necessarily against big labels. They'll take the calls, in other words.
"If something would come our way that would make sense, yeah, we'd do it," bassist Nicholas Harmer says. "We're not turned off by the idea. I never really cared which logo is on the back of my CD jacket. So many of our favorite bands are on indies and majors. They occupy the same space for me."
It would make sense if the band chose this time to sign to a major label, since the group's fourth and latest disc, Transatlanticism, is not only its best but its most accessible. Every song is etched out of an unspeakably catchy melody, whether it's the crunchy opener, The New Year, the poppy Expo '86 or the moving title track.
After recording three discs in relatively short times, the group took a different, more meticulous approach to recording Transatlanticism.
"We took our time with this one," Harmer says. "We spread it out over 4 1/2 or five weeks. We'd do a week here, take some time off, live our lives, then come back and piece them together. We would do them, leave them alone for a while, then revisit them -- it gave us a different perspective, one that we didn't have before."
Wrapped around the songs are Ben Gibbard's warm, touchingly poetic lyrics about life's torments and troubles -- the not-so-secret ingredient that has driven so many fans to smiles and tears.
"I'm glad that kids feel comfortable enough and open to come up to us and say, 'This song reminds me of this moment' or 'I've had tragedy in my life, and this song helped me deal with my tragedy,' " Harmer says. "But we try not to dwell on it that much. We try not to think about how this song is going to affect someone. That would make us too self-conscious. What happens after the song is done, that's out of our control."
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