Regarding Death Cab for Cutie, there is a vile word lurking in the background of the indie community. While those willing to utter it publicly are fortunately few in number, many more wait in the wings for the right moment to casually let it slip from their lips over a cup of joe at a caf?? or some other hipster hangout. That word is \sellout,"" and there is no more damning word in the indie lexicon.
Death Cab for Cutie has consistently broadened their fan base over the last couple of years, which is not unrelated to music becoming increasingly ""poppy."" One need look no further than the Transatlantacism poster on Seth Cohen's wall to appreciate how far the band has come since 1998's Something About Airplanes.
With their recent signing to Atlanic Records, the moment seems ripe for an accusation of selling out. So what does Death Cab do? Why, they do the complete opposite of what's expected and release a limited-edition, live EP on an independent label, Barsuk Records.
Named for the sound engineer of their spring tour from which these songs were recorded, The John Byrd EP is available at only select independent record stores throughout the country, and fortunately enough for Madison, B-Side, 436 State St., is one of them.
The EP's seven songs manage to succinctly capture the breadth of Death Cab's career, except for Something about Airplanes, which sadly is unrepresented. From The Photo Album comes the upbeat opening pair of ""We Laugh Indoors"" and ""Why You'd Want to Live Here,"" and the first half of the closer ""Blacking Out the Friction."" Transatlatacism contributes a competent but rather unchanged version of ""Lightness"" and an impressively jammed-out seven minute version of ""We Looked like Giants.""
Usually, in order to make their music come alive in concert, a band will either speed up or slow down songs to give them a new feel. Sadly, ""Photobooth,"" one of Death Cab's most amazing b-sides, receives an up-tempo treatment that robs it of its normal late summer's afternoon sheen. Fortunately, on the other side of the coin is John Byrd's most breathtaking moment, a down-tempo ""405"" somehow manages to float through the air along the currents of its simple, shimmering guitar lines.
The EP ends with a cover of Sebadoh's ""Brand New Love"" segueing out of ""Blacking out the Friction."" At first it seems odd to end a concert with a cover, but once you let it in, it is so beautiful that it seems wrong to end it any other way. ""Brand New Love"" perfectly encapsulates this album's opposition to any accusations of ""selling out.""
Death Cab released a seven-track EP, named for a sound engineer, available only in certain stores, that ends with a never-before-released cover, John Byrd amazingly encapsulates their live experience and acts as an antidote to the impending slander undoubtedly coming Death Cab's way.
