Death Cab for Cutie - You Can Play These Songs with Chords (18 tracks) +Album Reviews

Only if You're a Death Cab fan

Brian | 02/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've read and heard far too many reviews of this album that don't give it the credit it deserves, so hear goes.Honestly, this is an incredible album, but you have to be a Death Cab fan to appreciate it. Yes, this is their first demo and their B-sides. So don't complain if you buy it and aren't pleased because it's not "up to their usual quality"But this album gives you insight into Death Cab that you aren't going to find anywhere else. So if you care about this band and actually appreciate their music in a moving sense, it's incredible. Some of the B-sides on this album are more incredible than the original songs. Also, it's amazing to hear the differences between the songs that made it onto latter recordings and those which were laid down for You Can Play These Songs With Chords.So stop complaining. If you didn't like this album, you don't really like Death Cab. If you do, however, this is a rare treasure. Buy it, but only if you're a real fan. You know who you are."

DCFC's Best Album

Jason Persson | Littleton, Colorado | 03/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I might get a lot of negative responses from this review, but in my opinion this is the best album Death Cab has produced. It is very complete, well thought out, and each song says something. I have been a Death Cab fan for a long time, and have every single album they have produced, listened to each one countless times, and this one strikes me as their best one. Maybe this doesnt get the appreciation it deserves because not every fan has this album. Give this cd a chance and listen to each song carefully, and you will see what i'm talking about. Trust Me."

Great album for fans or newbies

A. Fabbri | seattle, wa USA | 04/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm fairly familiar with DCFC, having seen them live three times and hearing most of their songs.This is one of my favorite Death Cab albums. It's raw and fun. It feels like the band is having fun as they play the music. It has a garage jam session feel yet sounds great. If you like Death Cab, you should have this album.Whether or not you've heard this band before, I strongly reccommend this album!"

Death Cab presents excellent B-sides/demo collection

Jason Panella | Beaver Falls, PA United States | 01/02/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A preliminary note: like the other reviews mention, You Can Play These Songs With Chords isn't the best place for a new Death Cab fan to start. Regardless, it is an excellent collection of songs that pinpoints a band from their infancy to most recent.The opening eight tracks are a re-release of the demo recordings singer/guitarist Ben Gibbard did in 1997 (released with the same title as this compliation). Playing all of the instruments himself, the bulk of these demos resurfaced a short while later on Death Cab's first proper album, Something About Airplanes (then played with a full band). For the most part, the sound quality is awfully lo-fi, which recorder/future DCFC guitarist Chris Walla was obviously aiming for. As for the music, most of the songs are close enough to the final product, which is two-thumbs-up material. The few demos that didn't make it, like "Hindsight" and "That's Incentive" (with its limber bassline) show that not all songs cut were bad.The rest of the material is a collection of B-sides from DC's history. Some, like "TV Trays" and the original version of "Song for Kelly Huckaby," are on the verge of being subpar. Others, like the pretty "Army Corp of Architects," the quasi-Built to Spill-ish "Prove My Hypotheses" and the Something About Airplanes misfire "State Street Residential," are some of the best tracks the band has recorded. Some, like the hilarious cover of the Smiths' "This Charming Man" and the 'European Dance Hit' "Tomorrow," just don't fit into any catagory.For the most part, this is a great collection of songs Death Cab fans will be eager to get ahold of. For the newcomer, this may prove to be a confusing assortment of tracks. Oh, side note: the CD insert is a great help: I was always interested in who plays on songs, and this delievers in addition to the amusing notes provided by the band members."

Search - Death Cab for Cutie :: You Can Play These Songs with Chords

CD Details

Synopsis

Similarly Requested CDs

CD Reviews