I admit, I was terrified of Codes and Keys when it came out. I was already a fan at the time, and I figured this was probably where Death Cab were going to jump the shark. Ben Gibbard was saying in interviews that he didn't feel right composing depressing, melancholy songs anymore as a happily married man – let's not dwell on the bitter irony that being in the future gives us on that whole thing – and Chris Walla was saying that they were focusing more on keyboards than guitars. Sure enough, all of the reviews make it out to be some sort of synth-pop album full of vapid, happy pop songs which sounds more like The Postal Service than Death Cab. I was never fond of that particular side project, and I was all set for this to be a big disaster.
About 30 seconds into “Home Is a Fire,” I felt like an idiot.
Here's the truth of the matter – yes, Codes and Keys uses more electronics than on previous Death Cab albums, but it's really not that different. They are using the production studio as more of an instrument than previously, and the result is that it feels more “constructed” and less like a cohesive band unit, and that gives it kind of a feel of an electronica album. But most of the songs are still based on piano or organ or guitar. And the greater emphasis on electronic instruments is only a small portion of their broader vision, which also includes a live orchestra on a couple of tracks and experimenting with different song structures. In other words, what people referred to as “pandering,” I call artistic progression. It's just such a breath of fresh air after the marking time album that was Narrow Stairs.
So what about the vapidity, the “happy pop songs”? Well, first of all, I certainly don't think that songs have to be focused on negative emotions to be good, but I can see why people might express some alarm at Death Cab, in particular, focusing on that kind of thing. Once again, this is total nonsense. There are some happier songs on here, yes, but Ben Gibbard still knows how to write vocal hooks, the band still knows to arrange their songs and create interesting textures, and Chris Walla still knows how to produce. Furthermore, this only comprises a handful of the material found on the album. Over half of Codes and Keys features classic Death Cab atmosphere, simply served on a different plate.
Of the upbeat pop song portion of the album, only the overproduced and boring “Unobstructed Views” and the totally unmemorable “Portable Television” fail to deliver. The hit single, “You Are a Tourist,” features a great, poppy guitar riff and a lot of lovely vocal gymnastics from Ben Gibbard. I love that distant, insistent “This...fire...grows...higher” background vocal, as well as the shimmering guitar lines which pop up later. The much vilified “Monday Morning” features possibly the best vocal melody on the album, which says a lot, and I don't care if it doesn't sound like Death Cab at all (other than the vocals) – it's just a great pop song. “Stay Young, Go Dancing” is largely acoustic, but also features some great piano lines and lots of sweeping touches from the aforementioned orchestra, and is a grand, romantic way to close out the album.
As for the rest, it's classic Death Cab material. Well, ok, “St. Peter's Cathedral” is a very limp and anticlimactic song, not to mention weirdly pretentious for Death Cab, but other than that, they're all winners. The aforementioned “Home Is a Fire” is haunting and apocalyptic, not to mention gorgeous. The title track is built around a hipster-cool piano line which sounds like a slowed down bit of honky-tonk to my ears, and some strange, eastern sounding string arrangements that always remind me of The Byrds' rendition of “Wild Mountain Thyme,” for some reason. It works very well. The following “Some Boys” has a very strange structure, in that it feels like it's an overlong intro gearing up to break out into something else. It somehow still works, though, thanks to the swinging vocal melody and the almost random bits of piano and guitar which pop up at just the right times.
“Doors Unlocked and Open” is a bit of a lesser number, but I still enjoy it just fine. I dig the opening menacing bassline and the buildup of the rest of the song, even if it doesn't go anywhere too special. And finally, “Underneath the Sycamore” seems to be the one track people have salvaged from here, and I can understand why. It's the closest thing to sounding like something from Plans, and it is indeed excellent, with a peaceful, but sad guitar texture and a beautiful coda done only the way Death Cab can.
Overall, I just don't see what there is to dislike about Codes and Keys. Death Cab sound a lot more energized and engaged to be doing something different, unlike the laziness of Narrow Stairs, and it really comes through in the material. There's a bit of filler, sure, and the songs aren't as good as they are on Plans or their other classic-era albums, but overall, this is a very good album which shows that Death Cab aren't content with standing still anymore. That is something which should always be celebrated when it's done well.
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