Kintsugi (studio album) by Death Cab For Cutie

There are moments on this record that shine, but it’s almost as if the bland, lowest common denominator indie rock is catching up to Death Cab’s sound and, even more heartbreaking to say, Ben’s lyrics.

That’s not to say the record is bad (No Room in Frame, Ghosts of Beverly Drive, Good Help, and El Dorado are high points), and the guitars sound good, but it’s a little too middle of the road.

This album makes me mad. It is good and it is bad at the same time. Sometimes, the songs are working and you can feel and understand what Gibbard is trying to say (No Room In Frame, The Ghosts of Beverly Drive, Everything's A Ceiling, El Dorado, Ingenue). And sometimes, it just doesn't work (Binary Sea, Black Sun). Even the songs themselves are sometimes good, sometimes bad. I really like the verses of "Black Sun" and the guitar solo is amazing, but the choruses... I just don't get why they have to repeat it that many times without any progression at all. Same thing with "Little Wanderer", great verses, but the choruses are boring and childish. And you can say the exact same thing about "Good Help (Is Hard To Find)". "You've Haunted Me All My Life" sounds like a song they've done before, except they've done it way better in the past.

A very insonsistent album from a great band. Not a bad album by any mean, but Death Cab For Cutie can do (and have done) better than that.

From xMUSICSNOBx 10/17/2015 22:06

Everything Ben Gibbard touches turns to gold. Including this record. It seems to stray from their earlier work a bit, but not in a bad way at all. One of my favorites of the year for sure. 'Hold No Guns' rocked my world. Track after track of practical, simple, genius. 10/10.

From zags7000 06/05/2015 07:51

Not a great starting point if you're getting into the band. This should still please fans and Black Sun is certainly a new favorite of mine.

A bit underwhelming considering their past achievements, but generally a pretty solid album that takes a little while to grow on you.

From rogue 03/31/2015 18:24

I seem to love this band sporadically and it's without rhyme or reason.

Same goes with this record. I heard one song on the radio I didn't like, gave this a try and love it.

From HoldenM 03/23/2015 20:53

It's extremely hard for me to be impartial when it comes to Death Cab. I'll probably adore anything they do. Kintsugi is probably Death Cab's least actively unified album. Stylistically, it's all over the place. There's also a strange lack of songs fading in and out of one another. And I would be lying if I didn't miss jam out tracks in the same vein as "Doors Unlocked and Open," "I Will Possess Your Heart," or "Transatlanticism." Still, this is a really good album that I can tell is going to grow on me.