Death Cab For Cutie ~ Something About Airplanes

The first instrument you notice upon listening to Something About Airplanes is the cello on "Bend to Squares". It fades out, soon enough replaced by the familiar electric guitar, but it sets this album's offbeat mood. Experimentation and pop hooks strike a perfect balance on this debut from the Bellingham, Washington-based Death Cab for Cutie. The quartet follow in the fine tradition of area emo-pop bands like Modest Mouse,764-HERO, and Built to Spill, but it's hard not to notice bits of Quasi and the Beatles popping up. Of course, the Death Cab formula is a bit different--"President of What?" is driven by Farfisa, not Fender; "Champagne from a Paper Cup" is a slow-burner--there's not much pop glee found in a song that begins "I think I'm Drunk Enough to Drive You Home Now"; and--every once in a while--the oddball vocal sample kicks in (presumably from a long-forgotten movie, a la vintage Jawbreaker). It all makes for a brilliant debut and a fine addition to the canon of Seattle/Portland emo-pop late-1990s style.

1 Bend To Squares

2 President Of What?

3 Champagne From A Paper Cup

4 Your Bruise

5 Pictures In An Exhibition

6 Sleep Spent

7 The Face That Launched 1000 Shits

8 Amputations

9 Fake Frowns

10 Line Of Best Fit