Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism Demos

Death Cab for Cutie
Transatlanticism Demos
Barsuk (2013)
By Alli Smith

Back in 2003, the Seattle-based indie rock group Death Cab for Cutie released their fifth album Transatlanticism, a record that launched the band into the world of commercial success and transformed their expanding fan base.

This year, Death Cab fans were excited to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the beloved record. As a gift to fans, the band decided to release the Transatlanticism demos, revealing the inner workings of their breakthrough album.

The Transatlanticism demos are the skeleton of what would become a full-bodied record. The demos showcase synthesized beats in songs such as the title track “Transatlanticism,” which later became a track flowing with lush guitar and piano sounds. Messy guitar strums take over other songs like “A Lack of Color” and “Expo ’86,” which would eventually evolve into more polished tracks that were produced in full. “The Sound of Settling” was released as an upbeat tune, but as a demo is revealed to have at one point been a calm acoustic ballad.

Lyrics to certain songs were altered as well, nearly changing their meaning. In the song “Title and Registration” front man Ben Gibbard originally sang “and you are left with disappointment and regrets that bind, and keep you up at night,” making the song about the pain an ex-lover is experiencing. In the finished record, he sings “and here I rest, where disappointment and regret collide, lying awake at night,” changing the perspective of the song into a breakup that he is experiencing.

Hearing raw outtakes of Transatlanticism gives listeners a glimpse of what Death Cab for Cutie were experimenting with and creating right before reaching their big break. New listeners may be curious as to what Death Cab have to offer after listening to these demos, and longtime fans are sure to enjoy being able to hear the sound of a classic record slowly settling.