Codes And Keys

Album: Codes And Keys (2011)
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Songfacts®:

  • American indie rock band Death Cab For Cutie's seventh album Codes and Keys reflects a happier state of affairs for their frontman and principal songwriter Ben Gibbard. After the band's previous LP, the sad-sack Narrow Stairs, the singer turned his life around by marrying the actress and She & Him songstress Zooey Deschanel, and overcoming a serious drinking problem. Gibbard's sunnier outlook on life is displayed on the title track, which is Death Cab's first song to include a string section since their 1998 debut album, Something About Airplanes. The strings are performed by a quartet called the Magik Magik orchestra. "We had some really beautiful arrangements written for it," Gibbard told Spin magazine. "It's a standout track on the record. It's really aching and gorgeous. It's been really amazing to hear it come to life."

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