I've tried numerous times... It's never really grabbed me.

some enjoyable moments and some boring ones. overall, decent.

I love this storytelling. This was the anthem of my high school's Tournament of Champions for debate. I've heard rumors they are getting back together but I doubt anything new could top this.

Perfect balance of indie and electronica.

This one time, I had an out of body experience listening to Such Great Heights.

It's a less bodacious, more heartwarming version of the best of the pet shop boys. This is the template for indie pop IDM where technology found its heart (and/or soul). Ben Gibbard sings with a pathos and vulnerability that gives Tamberello's sweeping backgrounds more texture. (And i like the backing female fox throughout the album.) There are some heartfelt, personal lyrics on here that best any death cab for cutie album, like on the opener "the district sleeps alone tonight" chorus: "You seem so out of context, / in this gaudy apartment complex. / A stranger with your door key, / explaining that I'm just visiting. / And I am finally seeing / why I was the one worth leaving." And i love this opening line from "such great heights": "I am thinking it's a sign / That the freckles in our eyes are mirror images / And when we kiss they're perfectly aligned" The imagery is personal and tangible even when "everything seems perfect from far away". Choruses are like making love on your favorite pillow, like the softly-simple "Don't wake me I plan on sleeping in" or "Tell me am I right to think that there could be nothing better / Than making you my bride and slowly growing old together?" Tamberello's synth mixes work well nearly all of the time, like the haunting echo & high-pitched register of "nothing better" while Ben reflects inward on a cherished relationship voiced as a duet/dual with Jen Wood who counters against Ben's idealism. "Recycled Air" truly sounds like it begins with recycled air, floating above a song that starts lazily with "I take a breath and pull the air in 'til there's nothing left / I'm feeling green like teenage lovers between the sheets". "Clark Gable" is hollywood-majestic in its pace and synth-trumpeting chorus. i love the jubilance and poetry of "we will become silhouettes", and it might be my favorite track, as it lyrically-explodes saying "all the news reports recommended that I stay indoors / Because the air outside will make / Our cells divide at an alarming rate / Until our shells simply cannot hold / All our insides in, / And that's when we'll explode" ... "and it won't be a pretty sight" :-) with a digital celebration of life soundtracking the last 1:32. "this place is a prison" is audibly weighted with the chains of inanity until Ben questions his situation, but its disaffected vocals and dull synth monotone (until the crash) make this the only lull on the album (although i still like the song). "natural anthem" is a great closer for this album, taking its time to briefly state "please don't be upset at this portrait that I paint / it may be a little biased, but at least I spelt your name right..." on its way out.

Some great singles on here. I can't seem to listen to the full album though, gets a bit boring.

Inventive, creative, imaginative, emotive and just darn good to listen to as an entire album.