From Issue #24
the Scene
Death Cab For Cutie
By: Austin Wong
Even
if you’re not already a fan of Death Cab for Cutie, chances
are you’ve heard their unusual name (inspired by a song
title from an old Beatles movie). An indie-pop favourite since
1998, the quartet have toured relentlessly and have been name-dropped
constantly on The OC as geek-chic hipster Seth’s
alltime favourite band, even being invited to make an appearance
on the hit show.
After building a rapidly growing fan base with four indie albums,
they were scooped up by record label Atlantic, and released their
first major label debut, Plans, last August. The transition
from their indie label was painless. With more money and more
resources, they were able to amplify and expand their evolving
vision. And they didn’t run into problems with the major
label meddling to change their sound. Lead singer Ben Gibbard
says they wouldn’t have made the switch otherwise.
Their indie spirit still shines through with their innovative
Directions DVD. They realized that for the cost of one
typical major label video, they could actually make 11 short films,
shot by up-and-coming young directors, for every song on Plans.
Gibbard says they’re very happy with the result, and after
a successful debut of the films on iTunes, the whole compilation
has just been released on DVD.
The band: Death Cab for Cutie, former
indie-pop darlings from Bellingham, Washington, on the brink of
a major label breakthrough.
Right now: Directions DVD with 11 short
films inspired by their latest album, Plans, released
in April.
