Death Cab For Cutie
Kintsugi
(Atlantic Records)

Death Cab for Cutie is known for sweeping, atmospheric alternative rock sounds that are heavy on unforgettable melodies and move with a hypnotic buoyancy along with an enchanted charismatic lyrical charm and bravado. Their new album, Kintsugi, without founding member Chris Walla as producer, is a different taste. Acoustic guitars and the framing of drums and bass mostly decorate a more simplistic song styling that undulates from track to track. Complexities in lyrics and life continue to format while the dedication to reverberation of tone and song construction moves everything forward. The bleary sounds on “You’ve Haunted Me All My Life” presents a sweetly saddened lullaby. “Good Help (Is So Hard To Find)” is more alt-rock with a pop bend. The rhythmic stealth of “The Ghosts of Beverly Drive” is clearly grooving like that of “Black Sun,” which gloriously builds into a rueful, yet redemptive grappling. Mostly subdued, mellow and remorseful, Kintsugi feels more like a lonely western that manifests itself as an album. Harmonious rings of guitar plume out, winsomely yet sparsely while complicated emotions complete the album’s lacing.