Song of the Week- 6/7/2008

Two years ago to the week, I was slowly coming to the realization of the impending end of a chapter in my life. It was the weekend after prom the realization that high school was over for me hit me. A mix of nostalgia and shiftless anxiety/excitement began to creep into my conscious thoughts. Those thoughts would become a monolith that was always visible in my consciousness over that summer. I used that specter to enjoy my last summer with my friends and prepare for a new future- a future that now, in present, I love and have come to embrace. I only mention this now because I'm reminded of that time of my life. My brother's at the same place- although he may not explicitly state things the way I would, I'm sure he sees the changes ahead. Good luck Danno, you'll enjoy your summer and your future.

Now for the song of the week! Which song did I choose this week? Death Cab for Cutie's latest single "I Will Possess Your Heart."

Death Cab has always been one of those bands that people seem to be ashamed to like, mostly because they're a bit emo. Whatever, I'm confident in my own sense of self and will readily admit that I'm a fan.

"I Will Possess Your Heart" off of their latest albums Narrow Stairs is really unlike past Death Cab stuff. This is not so much a sprawling ode to a lost love as it is the band jamming. In fact, the first half of the song is just a pure instrumental build up. The song is more characterized by a great base line and melody that is augmented by a driving piano and drums with a splash of spacey guitar. The base line and melody are chock full of hooks- the bass could be just at home in an R&B song or a funk song while the melody and it's off-beat pick-ups is incredibly catchy (see the chorus of the song). Really, the lyrical content is secondary; it's almost as if the band created this great instrumental sound and wanted to put it on the album and it just so happened Ben Gibbard had a set of loose lyrics he just kinda threw in there. Even the music video supports this notion- it is a mix between the band preforming in an icebox and a camera following a beautiful girl and her travels around the world- little to do with lost or strained love.

Give the song a listen and enjoy until next week.

In hot and humid heat,
Greg