The Photo Album Explained

The Photo Album
Type:studio
Artist:Death Cab for Cutie
Cover:DeathCabPhotoAlbum.jpg
Border:yes
Alt:A close-up to a box with the words "Death Cab For Cutie".
Released:October 9, 2001
Recorded:2001
Studio:Hall of Justice (Seattle)
Length:38:51
Label:Barsuk/Fierce Panda
Producer:Chris Walla
Prev Title:We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes
Prev Year:2000
Next Title:The Stability EP
Next Year:2002

The Photo Album is the third studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released October 9, 2001 on Barsuk Records.

The albums spawned three singles: "A Movie Script Ending", "I Was a Kaleidoscope", and "We Laugh Indoors". All of the singles charted on the UK Singles Chart, with the highest-charting song "I Was a Kaleidoscope" peaking at number 115. The Photo Album was the first Death Cab for Cutie album to feature charting songs, with "A Movie Script Ending" also becoming the first of three songs by the band to eventually feature on the television show The O.C.. It was the only full-length album to feature drummer Michael Schorr.

A limited edition extended play called The Stability EP was released in early 2002, containing bonus tracks from the limited edition and Japanese versions of The Photo Album.[1]

Reception

The Photo Album holds a score of 75 out of 100 from the review aggregating site Metacritic based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". John D. Luerssen of Billboard gave the album a very favorable review and said, "If it's true that music of this nature doesn't get anymore heartfelt, it also rarely gets more infectious."[2] Mojo wrote that the band "weave together smartly taut guitars with vivid observational lyrics to create perfectly crafted pop songs, stunning in their simplicity and beauty",[3] while Alternative Press called the album "the skillful meshing of Benjamin Gibbard's part-stream-of-consciousness, part-confessional vocals with melancholy piano and achingly melodic guitars that reveal a fleshed-out Cutie are indeed a band of uncommon beauty." Nude as the News gave it a score of eight out of ten and stated, "While not every song is a gem, the ones that are have pushed the band's already high standard of compelling indie pop one notch higher." Neumu.net gave it seven stars out of ten and called it "evidence of a band that's maturing, slowing down and trying new things."[4] Drawer B gave it a positive review and stated, "The most noteworthy aspect of The Photo Album is the band's upward trajectory. The music is cohesive and even, though still somewhat sluggish."[5]

In a mixed assessment, Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club wrote that the album "is often marked by pleasant but static, middle-of-the-road material."[6] Melanie Haupt of The Austin Chronicle said, "It's a rare talent that can express such emotions so concisely; even more rare is the ability to deliver them in a near-whisper rather than a scream." Q wrote, "Full of beautiful pop songs, The Photo Album is just that—a collection of vignettes." Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a three-star honorable mention rating, indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure".[7] [8]

Personnel

Death Cab for Cutie

Additional personnel

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Death Cab for Cutie: The Stability EP. October 5, 2023 .
  2. Death Cab for Cutie: The Photo Album . . October 16, 2001 . July 9, 2013 . Luerssen . John D. . https://web.archive.org/web/20011113035634/http://www.billboard.com/billboard/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1081117 . November 13, 2001 . dead.
  3. Death Cab for Cutie: The Photo Album . . 101 . April 2002 . 96.
  4. Web site: Death Cab For Cutie: The Photo Album . Baldwin . Rosecrans . Neumu.net . 2001 . July 9, 2013.
  5. Web site: Death Cab For Cutie, The Photo Album (Barsuk) . Doherty . Patrick . Drawer B . October 19, 2001 . July 9, 2013.
  6. Web site: Death Cab For Cutie: The Photo Album . . October 9, 2001 . July 9, 2013 . Thompson . Stephen.
  7. Web site: Death Cab for Cutie: The Photo Album . RobertChristgau.com . July 9, 2013 . Christgau . Robert . Robert Christgau.
  8. Web site: Key to Icons . RobertChristgau.com . July 9, 2013 . Christgau . Robert . Robert Christgau.