death cab live

so i checked out the all ages show of death cab for cutie's two night stand at first ave and i have to say i was impressed. i came in not expecting much because i'd been told that they weren't very good live. i don't know if it's thanks to an inflated major label budget, but they had triggered samples that added a lot to the presentation and the sound was fantastic. loud and solid but not requiring earplugs, at least from the back of the room close to the bar. behind the sound guy? you know what i mean. i guess i should have expected good sound from a gear freek like chris walla and that's what we got. the guitars sounded great and they moved around a lot more than i was expecting and a lot more than opener youth group, who were fine, but nothing to write home about. especially if home is australia, which is where they're from.

over the course of their set, beginning with 'marching bands of manhattan,' proceeding to 'new year' and then 'we laugh indoors,' winding up eventually with 'transatlanticism,' i was struck by the fact that they just have a ton of really fantastic songs. they definitely deserve to be on a major. there's a lot to be said for the wooliness or quirkiness of local music. and i mean: a lot. i love it to death. but there's also something that separates a band that can really hold down first avenue with a solid and professional set and a band that can do the same at the entry. granted, i'm sure death cab would have been pretty great at the entry, but they seemed very at home up on the big stage and they've got the hooks and sound to back it up.