Death Cab for Cutie -- A Return to Form After Falling Down "Narrow Stairs"

I am a Death Cab for Cutie fan. Scratch that, I am a fan of Death Cab for Cutie PRIOR to their last album, "Narrow Stairs." Let's face it, they tripped ... and tripped badly in the last go round as they tried to chart new territory (a harder, darker sound). For me, it just never worked -- and that album is largely unlistenable. I liked Death Cab precisely because their music was the 180 of their name -- beautiful, ethereal, haunting.

Fast forward to their new album that just hit -- "Codes and Keys" -- which marks a return to their softer and more melodic form. I have been in constant listen mode for the past two days, and the album is growing more and more on me. To be clear, it isn't a classic -- nor does it have a single classic track like "Soul Meets Body" or "Transatlanticism" (although the album's final track, "Stay Young, Go Dancing" comes close) -- but it has some very strong moments and only a few full misses. It is generally more up-tempo than the band's earlier works, but it doesn't try to rock out like its failed attempt with "Narrow Stairs."

I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

Here is my song-by-song "thumbs up/down":

Track 1 -- "Home is A Fire" -- sets the overall up-tempo mood for the album -- thumbs up (half-way)

Track 2 -- "Codes And Keys" -- a bit Arcade Fire-like -- thumbs up

Track 3 -- "Some Boys" -- skippable -- thumbs down (but not completely)

Track 4 -- "Doors Unlocked And Open" -- drum machine beat -- thumbs up (half-way)

Track 5 -- "You Are A Tourist" -- the album's first single -- up-tempo vibe continues -- thumbs up

Track 6 -- "Unobstructed Views" -- mellower, bringing it back down -- thumbs up (half-way)

Track 7 -- "Monday Morning" -- classic Death Cab vibe -- a stand-out track -- thumbs up

Track 8 -- "Portable Television" -- picks up the temp again, but nothing special here -- not memorable, but not bad either -- kind of like waking up to a bowl of "Smart Start" (my usual breakfast) -- it gets the job done, but not much more than that -- thumbs flat (neither up nor down)

Track 9 -- "Underneath the Sycamore" -- skip -- definitely a thumbs down (c'mon guys, let's get back on the winning streak)

Track 10 -- "St. Peter's Cathedral" -- slows it down -- Ben Gibbard can be great, or his voice can be grating -- here is a bit more of the latter, yet the track's overall vibe saves it -- thumbs up (half-way)

Track 11 -- "Stay Young, Go Dancing" -- THE stand-out track of the album -- finishes the album strong with an almost Death Cab classic -- beautiful melody, beautiful lyrics -- THIS is why I love this band -- thumbs up (way up)!