SOUNDTRACK: DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE-Tiny Desk Concert #430 (April 6, 2015).
It’s hard for me to believe that Death Cab for Cutie had not been on a Tiny Desk Concert before. But they are here at last. Well, three of them anyhow. It’s simply Ben Gibbard (of course) on vocals, Nick Harmer on bass, and Zac Rae on piano (now that Chris Walla has left). And what makes this concert so special is that all 4 songs are played on piano–there’s no guitar at all. It gives all of these songs (familiar and new) a much starker feel. Not better, but very different.
There are two new song from Kintsugi, “Black Sun,” and “No Room In Frame” which sound so much like Death Cab for Cutie (probably because of Gibbard’s voice), that they fit in perfectly with the other two songs. “Your Heart Is An Empty Room” from Plans and “Passenger Seat” from Transatlanticism.
It’s a little uncomfortable watching Gibbard sing close ups with his eyes closed, but he sounds right on. He says some nice words about NPR (a station they actually listen to for news) and he gets a nice round of applause when they say they’ll do a fourth song. And Gibbard can even hit those high notes in this quiet setting. This is a must hear for any fan of the band.
[READ: April 2, 2015] Five Dials 32
Issue Number 32 is a thematic one–based around the Australia & New Zealand Festival of Literature & Arts. And so many of the writers and artists are from New Zealand. There are dozens of paintings by Francis Upritchard: colorful watercolors of monkeys, monocolor paintings of people and colorful masks. They all look incredibly simple–like first drafts–yet are quite effective in their displays.
A Letter from the Editor: On New Zealand Issues
Craig Taylor didn’t have a letter last issue. This time he talks about the issue and about issues in New Zealand. He talks a bit sadly about how the New Zealand writer most often find a home in London even if the writers mostly think about national (New Zealand) issues. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 