BBC Narrow Stairs Review

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Death Cab For Cutie's endorsement from teen soap, The OC, was one of rock's most unlikely couplings since the Flaming Lips appeared on Beverly Hills 90210. The result; a major label deal and a million selling album, Plans, has meant its follow-up is one of this year's most eagerly awaited records.

Narrow Stairs is a markedly different album to its predecessor. Ben Gibbard's distinctive voice is still there, but musically it's a dense, challenging affair with the layered guitars on Bixby Canyon Bridge and the discordant piano and bass of single I Will Possess Your Heart setting the tone for the whole album. Anyone expecting the lush warmth of Plans may be initially repelled.