Photo Album, The

Beautiful Quality. Sounds incredible. The album cover is well made and looks great on my wall. A must have re-issue for any fan.

great

"The Photo Album" is the third full length effort from Washington State's Death Cab For Cutie, and shows them at their most tender. Often compared with US post-rock acts such as Built To Spill or Modest Mouse, Death Cab sail closer to the mainstream than the previous two and are almost in danger of being (heaven forbid) popular. Never fear though, because just when you though DCFC could write perfect pop songs they have a tendency to put instrumental interludes in the middle of songs (see 'Styrofoam Plates', 'We Laugh Indoors'). Whilst this is all well and good, it tends to break up the otherwise perfect flow. Undoubtedly the highlight of this album is second track "A Movie Script Ending", which sums up perfectly the style of DCFC - the guitars are clean and high in the mix, the bass and drums are soft and the high, soft vocals of Ben Gibbard are yearning and heartfelt and work well with the poignant lyrics. Make no mistake, every slow indie band (Coldplay, Keane, Travis) would choose to sound like this if they could. This is generally what to expect from this album as a whole. Right from the opening track 'Steadier Footing', Gibbard sets the scene for heartbreak with a tale of missed chances set to a backdrop of atmospheric organ and light percussion. The key to DCFC lies at the door of Ben Gibbard. Not only does his voice have quite a unique register, he has a great talent for songwriting both musically and lyrically. His general style allows you to believe you are actually there with him, and that you're sharing his experience rather than just listening to a story. This is especially apparent in 'Styrofoam Plates' with lines like "it's no stretch to say you were not quite a father, but a donor of seeds to a young single mother who would raise us alone..". Everything about his voice and writing style leads you to believe that these songs are personal experiences, whether they actually are or not is irrelevant. Aside from my minor gripe about the instrumental parts, this album is near perfect and is recommended for all fans of US indie and guitar music in general. Any fans of distortion, hard rock and high-gain should steer clear though - this is for fans of soft music only. In that respect this album will never convert any of their critics, but it still remains a masterpiece of underground music.

As I've already began, this album is a must have. Even if you havent already started listenin to Death Cab, this album is a must have. Because it is one of those albums that you will listen to for ages and not forget it. With spectacular tracks like 'A Movie Script Ending', 'We laugh Indoors', 'Information travels faster' and 'I was a kaleidoscope' this album is unforgettable. Every track moves into each other, and with such a well flowing album it makes it impossible to forget. Though you may take it out of your cd player for like a day or two, I can guarantee you will be putting it back in your cd player after a day or two. This is indefinitely one of the most essential Death Cab albums to have.

Death Cab for Cutie have always had their own niche in my musical collection. Although I own all their albums, and listen to them quite alot, for some reason they just aren't one of my 'favourite, favourite' bands. This isn't to say they're crap or anything, not at all. I became interested around the time of 'We have the facts..'. Listening to 'Something About Airplanes' then furthered this interest. When 'The Photo Album' came out I was somewhat sceptical, what with reviews everywhere saying it was not their best work etc. Personally, I find this my favourite album on par with 'Airplanes'. Admittedly it doesn't contain the same lo-fi formula of old, but to be honest, I can't stand most lo-fi. It's too repetitive and samey for my tastes. The only thing which kept my interest in the Death Cab guys was their original arrangement of songs, and the delicate role of Ben Gibbard in the band. Now clawing out of the lo-fi rut, Death Cab have an album which is more of a showcase for their talents. Crescendos in songs, real production, and a slightly heavier feel, when the time calls for it. Even quite an experimental form of song with 'We Laugh Indoors' and 'Coney Island'. In my opinion the best album to be introduced to the band, but there may be a stroke of disappointment when you come across other material.

It was a summer's day like any other, only on this day I'd just been given a very generous increase on my credit card limit by my very kind bank manager! Naturally the plastic was burning a hole in my pocket so I thought I'd put it to use and extend my cd collection. I was searching Amazon for bands that I already knew, trying to find more obscure but similar bands to branch out a little in my cd collection. And that's when it happened... I was searching for Nada Surf (great band) cds when I came across these guys who (regrettably) I'd never heard of until that fateful day. Death Cab For Cutie? I wondered. Who are they? But with the feeling that it would be rude for me not to make a purchase on my new credit card I took a chance and I snatched up a copy of 'The Photo Album'. Well two days (and a lot of credit card abuse) later I received what has swiftly become my most played cd. The album is superb and the lyrics are thought provoking poems that even read alone without the music would be worth the money. But, the music too is as superb, with a great mixture of guitar, drums and piano. So basically, when I get my credit card bill I'll at least take some solace in the fact that I have been introduced to this amazing band! I recommend anyone with a credit card to follow my teachings and buy this album!

This is probably the best from the DCFC catalogue. Thats not to say the rest of the albums are mediocre, they are all fantastic in their own right. This collection however combines all the ingredients of classis Death Cab; the thoughtful and honest lyrics, the storming guitars and melancholic piano. The photo album does exactly what it says on the tin, rather than being a mere collection of nice tunes each songs encaptures a memory or story that is recollected by the talented songwriter Ben Gibbard. Songs that emphasise this include the powerful 'Styrofoam Plates'; an angry attack at a father who desserted his family, and 'Why you'd want to live here'; which reveals the darker side of Los Angeles. Other highlights on the album include the singles 'A movie script ending' and 'I was a kaleidoscope' and the fantastic live favourite 'Blacking out the Friction' (for me the stand out track of the album). Some call them indie, some call them emo, who cares? They're a great band and this album highlights that.

I bought Plans - which is a totally amazing album, but have to say The Photo Album is a huge disappointment after hearing Plans. There is one real gem on there, Movie script ending, but the rest of the songs I would have to discribe as bland, background music....not offensive, but all the same boring. I was really hoping after reading the reviews on here, that it would be in the same league as Plans, but I was sadly disappointed.

C'est une belle découverte, ce CD est bourré de pépites d'or, comme la couleur de la pochette !

今作からドラムスが変わったこともありデスキャブ至上、もっともバンドっぽいアルバムだったりします。もちろんベンとクリスの黄金コンビは健在なわけですが、一方でリズム隊がビートを刻みまくってます。かなりエモコアっぽいなっていう曲もあったり、デスキャブの意外な一面が見えてくる。 メロディはもちろん今までのようにデスキャブ印のメランコリックで美しいギター二本から生まれてくるものですが、リズム隊に影響されたのかリフで作ったようなものもあり、なかなか驚きました。プランズの印象で聞くと、かなり違って聞こえます。元々はエモに属していたデスキャブのバンドサウンドが垣間見える一枚。

Great album

Chegou um pouco amassado e o disco razoavelmente empenado

Album still holds up and the new pressing and remaster sounds amazing. DCFC are a band that has been hit or miss with me since Transatlatacism, good stuff on a lot of the records like Cath... on Plans, but those early Barsuk records are just front to back bangers.