Codes and Keys
Encyclopedia
Codes and Keys is the seventh studio album by Death Cab for Cutie
, released on May 31, 2011. Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer have both been quoted as saying that the album will be "a much less guitar-centric album than we’ve ever made before". The first single, "You Are a Tourist
", was made available for online stream on March 28, 2011 on the band's official site and the album was available for streaming in its entirety on May 23, 2011 on NPR
.
, by Brian Eno
, Codes and Keys was recorded in eight different studios, using Logic Pro
software. The band would record in each studio for no longer than two weeks, with vocalist and guitarist Benjamin Gibbard noting, "We're all moving into a period in our lives where family is very important. So living off in the woods for a month away from family isn't something we want to do. On this record I've written a couple songs in our downtime between studios and we start recording that brand new song on the first day of the next session, which is something we've never really had the opportunity to do before."
During its recording, Gibbard stated: "It's not a guitar-based record. We've been into vintage keyboards and playing with that palette. We're not adding guitars because people will be expecting them. I'm so proud of this album that at this point I don't care if people don't like it." Guitarist and producer Chris Walla
elaborated further, "We're thirteen or fourteen years, and seven or eight albums – depending how you count – into this, and it just seemed like a good time to not make a really guitar-centric, guitar-focused record." Walla later stated: "guitar is great; it’s a really immediate, impulsive sort of instrument. But I think if we had strapped on guitars and gone into the studio with the intent of making a sort of live-ish sounding record, we definitely would've retreaded some of the territory that we were in for Narrow Stairs
. None of us really wanted to do that, but it took us a little while to figure out how to do it differently; how to find something that would work."
Walla's production was influenced by Dazzle Ships
by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
, This Is Happening
by LCD Soundsystem
, New Order
and the David Bowie
album, Low, with Walla noting, "They really lean on a particularly technological bent. I wanted to do that. I wanted less photograph, more impressionism." Walla elaborated, "[Codes and Keys] was an exercise in using an entirely different tool set. [...] the whole record ended up being this big experiment, which was really exciting. [...] We were really happy with Narrow Stairs, but we could make a record like that in our sleep. It’s just so second-nature and so simple. I still think there’s a lot more to explore [in] the way we made this record. And I think we’ll probably continue on a similar trajectory and see where we end up on the next album."
The album was mixed by Alan Moulder
, with Walla noting: "I've mixed [all of the band's previous albums] except for this one. I’d been toying with it for a couple of records now. [...] It was really just a matter of trying to find the right person for this, to mix a Death Cab record, and Alan was my first choice. I was thrilled that he was able to do it. I'd been a huge fan of his for years and years so it was super exciting to get to work with him. He’s kind of one of my heroes, he’s made a bunch of my favourite records, so it was awesome."
(2008). Influenced by his recent move to Los Angeles, following his marriage to Zooey Deschanel
, Gibbard states: "There's a level of self-loathing in Narrow Stairs that I'm a bit of embarrassed about now. It's a really dark record. I didn't want to make that record again. I didn't want to write those songs again. [...] Everything I write is reflective of my own life and the lives of those people around me. They reflect the conversations you have and the rumblings of life around you. But when somebody gets married, people assume that they're going to get a certain thing out of an album." Gibbard later stated, however: "I would be remiss if I tried to continue writing in a solely melancholic voice, given the fact that now I'm a married man."
With Codes and Keys, the experimental side of the band was drawn out more through production than a set songwriting process. Nicholas Harmer stated: "The making of this album was a little more open-ended as far as submitting different ideas if there were openings or holes for ideas to be submitted, but I think a lot of the experimentation came from the production side more than it did from the writing side."
According to Gibbard, guitarist and producer Chris Walla
's writing contributions were key during the album's writing and recording: "There are a few songs that Chris wrote all the music for. I cut and pasted and wrote lyrics and arrangements for them. This is the first time that we've had multiple compositions that started with Chris's demos and not mine, which is exciting." Gibbard continued to praise Walla's contributions, stating: "I'm down with Chris screwing around with what he wants to do. He's yet to lead us down the wrong path. I think we're constantly trying to reinvent the band without losing sight of who we are. I don't feel like we went all Kid A
on everyone. But there are moments on this record where we looked at each other and said, 'Oh, man, fans of The Photo Album
(2001) are going to wonder what's going on here.'"
Walla commented on writing contributions, stating: "If I’m starting something from the ground up, either I’ve got a melody in my head or I’ve got a feeling that I’m chasing. It’ll be something impressionistic; it’ll be like trying to take a feeling or something that’s happening environmentally and trying to bottle that and turn it into a piece of music. Both the things that I started as instrumentals for this record were written largely out of a place of procrastination. I think I was supposed to be mixing someone else’s record, or something, but I had some idea that I couldn’t get out of my head and I just needed to crash through it."
, the album has a score of 72 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews."
Entertainment Weekly
's Kyle Anderson gave the album a very positive review, writing "It's a reminder to the rest of the pretty-rock community that loveliness is worthless if there's no heart behind it, and Death Cab's beats stronger than most." Jon Pareles of the New York Times also gave the album a positive review, calling Codes and Keys a better album than the band's previous album Narrow Stairs
. Pareles concluded his review with: "This album doesn’t try to rejuvenate Death Cab for Cutie by reverting to the sound the band had in the late 1990s. Now, it’s a band of grown-ups still eager to evolve." BBC
's Ian Winwood called the album "an understated and subtly magnificent pleasure."
Larry Fitzmaurice of Pitchfork Media
, on the other hand, gave Codes and Keys a mixed review, calling the album "chilly, diffident, and emotionally distant." Fitzmaurice also compared the album negatively to Death Cab for Cutie's earlier work, writing "...even when the band revisits past glories on Codes and Keys few highlights, Death Cab weirdly sound like they are imitating themselves." Popmatters
' Evan Sawdey gave the album a negative review, writing "this is the sound of Death Cab at their most generic, disjointed, and disinterested. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but the truth is this: Codes & Keys is the worst album of their career."
Death Cab for Cutie
Additional musicians
Recording personnel
Artwork
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
, released on May 31, 2011. Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer have both been quoted as saying that the album will be "a much less guitar-centric album than we’ve ever made before". The first single, "You Are a Tourist
You Are a Tourist
"You Are a Tourist" is a song by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, and was released as the first single off of Codes and Keys. The single topped the Alternative Songs chart for the week of July 9, 2011, becoming the first Death Cab for Cutie single to do so.-Music video:On April 5, 2011, the...
", was made available for online stream on March 28, 2011 on the band's official site and the album was available for streaming in its entirety on May 23, 2011 on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
.
Recording and production
Influenced by the album, Another Green WorldAnother Green World
Another Green World is the third studio album by British musician Brian Eno. Produced by Eno and Rhett Davies, it was originally released by Island Records in September 1975. As he had done with previous solo albums, Eno worked with several guest musicians including Phil Collins, John Cale and...
, by Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, Codes and Keys was recorded in eight different studios, using Logic Pro
Logic Pro
Logic Pro is a hybrid 32 / 64 bit digital audio workstation and MIDI sequencer software application for the Mac OS X platform. Originally created by German software developer Emagic, Logic Pro became an Apple product when Apple bought Emagic in 2002...
software. The band would record in each studio for no longer than two weeks, with vocalist and guitarist Benjamin Gibbard noting, "We're all moving into a period in our lives where family is very important. So living off in the woods for a month away from family isn't something we want to do. On this record I've written a couple songs in our downtime between studios and we start recording that brand new song on the first day of the next session, which is something we've never really had the opportunity to do before."
During its recording, Gibbard stated: "It's not a guitar-based record. We've been into vintage keyboards and playing with that palette. We're not adding guitars because people will be expecting them. I'm so proud of this album that at this point I don't care if people don't like it." Guitarist and producer Chris Walla
Chris Walla
Christopher Walla is an American musician and music producer, most notable for being the guitarist for the band Death Cab for Cutie. He is also a former DJ of KCWU, 88.1 The Burg...
elaborated further, "We're thirteen or fourteen years, and seven or eight albums – depending how you count – into this, and it just seemed like a good time to not make a really guitar-centric, guitar-focused record." Walla later stated: "guitar is great; it’s a really immediate, impulsive sort of instrument. But I think if we had strapped on guitars and gone into the studio with the intent of making a sort of live-ish sounding record, we definitely would've retreaded some of the territory that we were in for Narrow Stairs
Narrow Stairs
Narrow Stairs is the sixth studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. It was released on May 12, 2008, in the United Kingdom and on May 13, 2008, in the United States. The first single of the album was "I Will Possess Your Heart", released on March 18, 2008. The second single was...
. None of us really wanted to do that, but it took us a little while to figure out how to do it differently; how to find something that would work."
Walla's production was influenced by Dazzle Ships
Dazzle Ships (album)
The "Manor Version" of "Telegraph" was recorded at the same time as Architecture & Morality. "Swiss Radio International" was dropped from the album at the last minute...
by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
, This Is Happening
This Is Happening
-Personnel:*James Murphy – synthesizer, guitar, bass guitar, claps, wurlitzer piano, piano, tambourine, drums, vocals, glockenspiel, cowbell, electronic drums, omnichord, vocoder, keyboards, programming*Gavin Russom – synthesizer, vocals...
by LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem was a prominent American dance-punk band from New York City. It was fronted by American singer-songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records...
, New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
and the David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
album, Low, with Walla noting, "They really lean on a particularly technological bent. I wanted to do that. I wanted less photograph, more impressionism." Walla elaborated, "[Codes and Keys] was an exercise in using an entirely different tool set. [...] the whole record ended up being this big experiment, which was really exciting. [...] We were really happy with Narrow Stairs, but we could make a record like that in our sleep. It’s just so second-nature and so simple. I still think there’s a lot more to explore [in] the way we made this record. And I think we’ll probably continue on a similar trajectory and see where we end up on the next album."
The album was mixed by Alan Moulder
Alan Moulder
Alan Moulder is one of Britain's premier alternative rock record producers. He has worked with such artists as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Elastica, Gary Numan, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Curve, Ride, Lush and My Bloody Valentine, Lostprophets, Shihad, Ivyrise and Placebo, as well as with many American...
, with Walla noting: "I've mixed [all of the band's previous albums] except for this one. I’d been toying with it for a couple of records now. [...] It was really just a matter of trying to find the right person for this, to mix a Death Cab record, and Alan was my first choice. I was thrilled that he was able to do it. I'd been a huge fan of his for years and years so it was super exciting to get to work with him. He’s kind of one of my heroes, he’s made a bunch of my favourite records, so it was awesome."
Writing and composition
Lyricist Benjamin Gibbard notes that the album's lyrical content and themes differ from their previous studio album, Narrow StairsNarrow Stairs
Narrow Stairs is the sixth studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. It was released on May 12, 2008, in the United Kingdom and on May 13, 2008, in the United States. The first single of the album was "I Will Possess Your Heart", released on March 18, 2008. The second single was...
(2008). Influenced by his recent move to Los Angeles, following his marriage to Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Claire Deschanel is an American actress, musician, and singer-songwriter. In 1999, Deschanel made her film debut in Mumford, followed by her breakout role as young protagonist William Miller's troubled older sister Anita in Cameron Crowe's 2000 semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous...
, Gibbard states: "There's a level of self-loathing in Narrow Stairs that I'm a bit of embarrassed about now. It's a really dark record. I didn't want to make that record again. I didn't want to write those songs again. [...] Everything I write is reflective of my own life and the lives of those people around me. They reflect the conversations you have and the rumblings of life around you. But when somebody gets married, people assume that they're going to get a certain thing out of an album." Gibbard later stated, however: "I would be remiss if I tried to continue writing in a solely melancholic voice, given the fact that now I'm a married man."
With Codes and Keys, the experimental side of the band was drawn out more through production than a set songwriting process. Nicholas Harmer stated: "The making of this album was a little more open-ended as far as submitting different ideas if there were openings or holes for ideas to be submitted, but I think a lot of the experimentation came from the production side more than it did from the writing side."
According to Gibbard, guitarist and producer Chris Walla
Chris Walla
Christopher Walla is an American musician and music producer, most notable for being the guitarist for the band Death Cab for Cutie. He is also a former DJ of KCWU, 88.1 The Burg...
's writing contributions were key during the album's writing and recording: "There are a few songs that Chris wrote all the music for. I cut and pasted and wrote lyrics and arrangements for them. This is the first time that we've had multiple compositions that started with Chris's demos and not mine, which is exciting." Gibbard continued to praise Walla's contributions, stating: "I'm down with Chris screwing around with what he wants to do. He's yet to lead us down the wrong path. I think we're constantly trying to reinvent the band without losing sight of who we are. I don't feel like we went all Kid A
Kid A
Kid A is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in October 2000 by the Parlophone label. A commercial success worldwide, Kid A went platinum in its first week of release in the United Kingdom. Despite the lack of an official single or music video as publicity, Kid A...
on everyone. But there are moments on this record where we looked at each other and said, 'Oh, man, fans of The Photo Album
The Photo Album
The Photo Album is the third studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released on October 9, 2001.-Track listing:All songs written by Ben Gibbard except where noted.#"Steadier Footing" – 1:47#"A Movie Script Ending" – 4:19...
(2001) are going to wonder what's going on here.'"
Walla commented on writing contributions, stating: "If I’m starting something from the ground up, either I’ve got a melody in my head or I’ve got a feeling that I’m chasing. It’ll be something impressionistic; it’ll be like trying to take a feeling or something that’s happening environmentally and trying to bottle that and turn it into a piece of music. Both the things that I started as instrumentals for this record were written largely out of a place of procrastination. I think I was supposed to be mixing someone else’s record, or something, but I had some idea that I couldn’t get out of my head and I just needed to crash through it."
Reception
Codes and Keys has received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregate site MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the album has a score of 72 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews."
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
's Kyle Anderson gave the album a very positive review, writing "It's a reminder to the rest of the pretty-rock community that loveliness is worthless if there's no heart behind it, and Death Cab's beats stronger than most." Jon Pareles of the New York Times also gave the album a positive review, calling Codes and Keys a better album than the band's previous album Narrow Stairs
Narrow Stairs
Narrow Stairs is the sixth studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. It was released on May 12, 2008, in the United Kingdom and on May 13, 2008, in the United States. The first single of the album was "I Will Possess Your Heart", released on March 18, 2008. The second single was...
. Pareles concluded his review with: "This album doesn’t try to rejuvenate Death Cab for Cutie by reverting to the sound the band had in the late 1990s. Now, it’s a band of grown-ups still eager to evolve." BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Ian Winwood called the album "an understated and subtly magnificent pleasure."
Larry Fitzmaurice of Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, on the other hand, gave Codes and Keys a mixed review, calling the album "chilly, diffident, and emotionally distant." Fitzmaurice also compared the album negatively to Death Cab for Cutie's earlier work, writing "...even when the band revisits past glories on Codes and Keys few highlights, Death Cab weirdly sound like they are imitating themselves." Popmatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
' Evan Sawdey gave the album a negative review, writing "this is the sound of Death Cab at their most generic, disjointed, and disinterested. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but the truth is this: Codes & Keys is the worst album of their career."
Track listing
Personnel
The following people contributed to Codes and Keys:Death Cab for Cutie
- Benjamin Gibbard – lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards
- Nicholas Harmer – bass guitar, guitar
- Jason McGerrJason McGerrJason McGerr is the current drummer for the band Death Cab for Cutie. McGerr was previously in Krusters Kronomid and Eureka Farm as well as the Seattle jazz trio Rockin' Teenage Combo. McGerr is an instructor at the Seattle Drum School when not playing drums for Death Cab for Cutie...
– drums, percussion - Chris WallaChris WallaChristopher Walla is an American musician and music producer, most notable for being the guitarist for the band Death Cab for Cutie. He is also a former DJ of KCWU, 88.1 The Burg...
– guitar, backing vocals, piano, keyboards
Additional musicians
- Magik*Magik Orchestra – strings ("Codes and Keys", "Stay Young, Go Dancing")
- Minna Choi – arrangements, conducting
- Krish Lingala – oboe, theremin
Recording personnel
- Chris WallaChris WallaChristopher Walla is an American musician and music producer, most notable for being the guitarist for the band Death Cab for Cutie. He is also a former DJ of KCWU, 88.1 The Burg...
– producer, recording, mixing ("Home is a Fire", "Codes and Keys") - Beau Sorenson – recording, mixing ("Codes and Keys")
- Alan MoulderAlan MoulderAlan Moulder is one of Britain's premier alternative rock record producers. He has worked with such artists as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Elastica, Gary Numan, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Curve, Ride, Lush and My Bloody Valentine, Lostprophets, Shihad, Ivyrise and Placebo, as well as with many American...
– mixing - Roger Siebel – mastering
- Sean Oakley – recording assistant (Sound City)
- Dave "Squirrel" Covell – recording assistant (Sound City)
- Sally Pickett – recording assistant (Sound City)
- Mark Richards – recording assistant (Sound City)
- Adam Greenholtz – recording assistant (The Warehouse)
- Ryan Enockson – recording assistant (The Warehouse)
- Stephen Hogan – recording assistant (London Bridge)
- Jackson Long – recording assistant (Two Sticks Audio)
- John VandersliceJohn VandersliceJohn Vanderslice is an American musician and songwriter. Previously a member of the band Mk Ultra, he now records and performs as a solo artist.-Early years:...
– recording assistant (Tiny Telephone) - Jay Pellicci – recording assistant (Tiny Telephone)
- Pierre de Reeder – recording assistant (Bright Street Recorders)
- Kendra Lynn – recording assistant (Jackpot! Recording)
- Stuart Hallerman – recording assistant (Avast Recording)
- Johnny Mendoza – recording assistant (Avast Recording)
- Cathy Ferrante – recording assistant (Avast Recording)
- Catherine Marks – mixing assistant
- John Catlin – mixing assistant
Artwork
- Nicholas Harmer – front cover, "coin slot" photograph
- Storey Elementary – additional photography and design
Album
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
24 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
3 |
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
7 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak positions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Alt |
US Rock Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... |
|||||||||||
| 2011 | "You Are a Tourist You Are a Tourist "You Are a Tourist" is a song by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, and was released as the first single off of Codes and Keys. The single topped the Alternative Songs chart for the week of July 9, 2011, becoming the first Death Cab for Cutie single to do so.-Music video:On April 5, 2011, the... " |
1 | 3 | |||||||||
| 2011 | "Home is a Fire" | — | — | |||||||||
| 2011 | "Stay Young, Go Dancing" | 32 | 43 | |||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||||||||