Death Cab For Cutie - "The Open Door" EP

Today marks the digital release of "The Open Door" EP by Death Cab For Cutie. The 5 tracks were recorded during the Narrow Stairs sessions and just didn't fit on the record but the band still wanted them to be heard. The EP includes four new non-album tracks and the original version of "Talking Bird" with just Ben singing and playing the ukelele.

The first song, "Little Bribes" used to be a song Ben played on solo dates with David Bazan in 2007 but was called "Casino Blues". The acoustic strumming remains and added to that are a Wilco-like guitar solo and sweet harmonies to flesh out the song that would have stuck out on Narrow Stairs but is a great song on its own. The mid-tempo "A Diamond And A Tether" has more acoustic guitars, a great hook and tender, self-pitying vocals as a nice contrast to the happy, alt-country charm of the opening track. The third song, "My Mirror Speaks" is classic DCFC. Leaving the acoustic guitars behind, the vocal melodies wind around the guitar lines over a thumping beat and would have fit right in on Narrow Stairs. The final new song, "I Was Once A Loyal Lover" has pounding piano that mirrors the drum beat, crunchy guitars and Nick's bassline doesn't just walk, it strolls as Ben realizes his friends are all growing up and leaving him behind. The fifth and final song, is the demo version of "Talking Bird" which showcases Ben's sweet voice that matches well with the light ukelele strums that puts the icing on this unexpected cake of an EP.

You can download the EP now at http://www.deathcabforcutie.com/ or here: iTunes. The physical release scheduled for April 14th, will follow on Atlantic Records.