By Isabelle Rogers
Entertainment Editor
I’ve never been the biggest fan of Death Cab for Cutie, but I have spent a few of my summer nights falling asleep to their albums Plans, Transatlanticism and Narrow Stairs. To put it plainly, I was incredibly disappointed in Death Cab for Cutie’s newest album, Kintsugi.
The one thing I loved about the album was the name. Kintsugi is a type of pottery that was once broken, but instead of throwing away the pieces, the Japanese used gold to fill the cracks and completely turn the piece of pottery into a new form of art. To me, kintsugi symbolizes the beauty on the inside of things and reconciling the past, even if it was once broken. Sadly, the album Kintsugi doesn’t reflect kintsugi in any respect despite the name
In most ways, this album is almost exactly like the others. It follows the same outline of what order each song should be in. The first is a catchy tune that is relatively upbeat compared to the others. Somewhere in between the first and last song is a really slow acoustic song, and the last song is usually slower but still lively. All the songs in between are filler songs.
This album also has a very familiar sound and feel to it. Between Death Cab’s amazing lyrics and pessimistic music, the albums make you feel that everything is overcast and constricting.
This overcast feeling is most evident in the first song “No Room in Frame.” The song is okay. The lyrics are okay. The music is okay. It makes things feel like everything is just okay.
And everything is okay until the drum machine starts when the song picks up. This moment is when the entire album fell to pieces.
I can deal with the weird sound effects they added to the songs; I can deal with the filler songs, but I cannot handle a drum machine.
The second song on the album, “Black Sun,” is a definite step in the right direction. Thanks to the soft acoustic guitar overlaying the crappy electronic effects, the song, which has been gaining popularity over the last few weeks, gives off otherworldly feelings.
Fast forward three filler songs and you arrive at my favorite song of the whole album. “Hold No Guns” is a song that keeps you floating even though the lyrics say something completely different.
Lyrics like, “The lyrics, “You break with but the slightest bend / /That leaves you lost and helpless” contra” contradicts the peaceful, melodic guitar.
The next four songs are filler songs that aren’t worth listening to because of the drum machine.
Finally, Death Cab ends the album with the second best song called “Binary Sea.” The song starts off with an enjoyable piano solo and leads to the rest of the song. “Binary Sea” is the only song on the album that is listenable even with the drum machine.
Overall, the album sucked. Any of the songs could have been listenable if Death Cab didn’t use a drum machine.