While the masses discovered the band Death Cab for Cutie through TV-show soundtracks and or its hit 2005 album “Plans,” some fans have been with the Washington-based outfit since its inception in 1997-98.
That Death Cab has been around for 10 years is some kind of indie- rock milestone. This is one of those bands that made the major-label transition with its integrity intact.
Singer Ben Gibbard has been there for his fans in their times of need, that fleeting moment of love in the springtime, and that lasting impression of heartbreak in winter.
The band’s 10th anniversary hasn’t gone unnoticed in the Death Cab camp.
“It’s unbelievable,” bass player Nick Harmer said recently via telephone. “I don’t have a lot of perspective on it in terms of what it means in the overarch of our career, but not a day or tour or show goes by that we, as a band, aren’t thankful to be able to do this at all, much less now that we’ve been a band for 10 years.”
We talked with Harmer at length about his band’s new record, “Narrow Stairs” — the No. 1 record in America, with nearly 145,000 in sales last week — its 8-minute- long lead single, its members’ love affair with the guitar and their plans for the next 10 years.
Q: “I Will Possess Your Heart” is 8 minutes long. Some bands are known for long songs, but you guys aren’t one of them. How did that come about?
A: The groove was fun for us to play while we were recording it. The version on the record is the fourth time as a band we ever played the song that long. We recorded about six or seven different takes of that song, and No. 4 seemed to capture the right magic for us.
Q: Was an eight-minute single some kind of statement about radio?
A: No. We’ve had songs with long outros, but never one with a long musical intro. But we weren’t trying to make some grand political statement about the nature of radio and the single. We always knew there was going to be an edit, and we knew it was going to work as an edit, but we also knew that this song was a good introduction in terms of sonic presentation and energy for what “Narrow Stairs” is all about as an album.
Q: What’s the general tone of the record?
A: When Ben turned in this record to us, the demos, it was obvious that he’d fallen back in love with his guitar again. This record is different than “Plans” in some ways. It’s more similar to our early albums as a band, but it shows the growth and musicianship that 10 years of being in a band brings. It’s interesting. It’s one foot planted squarely in the past, and one foot planted squarely in the present.
Q: I talked with Ben around the release of “Plans,” and things sounded peachy for you guys. But now I’m reading interviews from Coachella, and he’s saying the transition from Barsuk to Atlantic was the hardest thing you guys will ever go through as a band?
A: We were putting on a brave face. People were looking for cracks in the armor, and everybody was vying for some kind of scoop or angle on what was happening. The prevailing wind that was happening: Indie rock band signs to major, everything goes south. And we didn’t want to have the story written for us before we had the chance to live it.
Q: But you guys actually were (and are) happy with the new record deal?
A: Absolutely. Atlantic really had nothing to do with that. They’ve been: “You guys make records, we put them out, and let’s leave it at that.” That’s the perfect business relationship. But there was still a lot of apprehension and second-guessing on our part. We were basket cases.
Q: This record sounds looser than “Plans.”
A: We went analog this time, 24 tracks. With digital recording, there were an infinite amount of possibilities and options — we called it option anxiety. Because you can make something perfect, why not make everything perfect? That’s an offshoot of where digital technology has taken us. It’s not the wrong way or a bad way to make music. Certain songs and experiences dictate that. But with this record, we felt like, “Let’s do something different for our own sake, make something honest and an authentic snapshot of what it sounds like when the four of us make music together in a room.” This record is a little looser, but the spirit and the energy is something we were looking for in each song.
Q: The spirit and the energy?
A: Yeah, the vibe and the energy and the spirit, and as I say those words, I roll my eyes. It sounds hippy-dippy, but it’s true. When the moment happens, and the hair stands up on your arms, it’s real. It just feels good, and we were looking for more of those moments.
Q: So it’s been 10 years. What are the chances of you guys being around in another 10 years?
A: All of us in the band are huge music fans. I study music as much as I listen to music and read about bands and the history of music, and I see the patterns emerge. Everything has a bell-shaped curve to it. There’s a peak. There are bands who are able to be a band for 40 years. But that’s kind of weird, because it doesn’t really happen often. I hope we’re still together 10 years from now, but I severely doubt it. As long as we’ve got music to make and things to say, we’ll still be a band.
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com
Death Cab for Cutie
Indie rock. Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison. Wednesday with Rogue Wave. 7:30 p.m. $35-$39.50. ,
