Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie's EPs always house hidden gems in the band's oeuvre, just check out "Photobooth" from Forbidden Love and their cover of Björk's "All is Full of Love" on Stability for proof. So it's nice to see that life in the majors hasn't dulled their productivity. The five tracks on their latest — four leftovers from last year's Narrow Stairs and a demo version of that record's "Talking Bird" — run the gamut of DCFC's musical guises. "Little Bribes" and "A Diamond and a Tether" chart the same straightforward indie rock perfected on Plans. Meanwhile, "I Was Once a Loyal Lover" hearkens back to Transatlanticism and "My Mirror Speaks" sounds like a rewrite from the band's earliest records. The demo version of "Talking Bird" is a sparse take, with only Gibbard singing and playing ukulele, revealing how much DCFC's tracks can change in the studio. None of the songs reach the heights of the group's best work but each is a welcome addition to the band's surprisingly deep catalogue.