Death Cab for Cutie - Definition and Overview

Death Cab for Cutie began in 1997 as the solo project of singer/guitarist Ben Gibbard, previously from All-Time Quarterback. The success of the self-release cassette You Can Play These Songs with Chords inspired Gibbard to recruit a full-time band which incorporated guitarist/organist Christopher Walla from You can... , and new additions: bassist Nicholas Harmer, and drummer Nathan Good. In the summer of 1998, Death Cab for Cutie issued their debut LP, Something About Airplanes, to good reviews among independent music scene journals. Just prior to completion of the 2000 follow-up We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, Good left the group and was replaced by drummer Michael Schorr. In fall 2000, the band released The Forbidden Love E.P. which was then followed by the LP The Photo Album in the next year. Limited editions of this album contained three bonus tracks, which were later released separately as "The Stability E.P." In 2003, Eureka Farm's Jason McGerr joined the group. The band's-well received fourth album Transatlanticism appeared in October, 2003 and was a great success (especially by indie rock standards), selling 160,000 copies through August of 2004.

The current lineup is Ben Gibbard (guitars, keyboards, vocal), Nick Harmer (bass), Jason McGerr (drums), Chris Walla (guitars, keyboards)

The band takes its name from a satirical song performed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band on their album Gorilla. The song was also performed in a striptease act in the Beatles' movie Magical Mystery Tour.

Discography

• You Can Play These Songs with Chords (1997)
• Something About Airplanes (1999)
• We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes (2000)
• The Forbidden Love E.P. (2000)
• The Photo Album (2001)
• The Stability E.P. (2002)
• You Can Play These Songs with Chords + 10 (2002)
• Transatlanticism (2003)
• Studio X Sessions E.P. (2004)