Transatlanticism

Transatlanticism
Studio album by Death Cab for Cutie
Released	October 7, 2003
Recorded	2003
Genre	Indie rock, indie pop
Length	44:09
Language	English
Label	Barsuk
Producer	Chris Walla
Death Cab for Cutie chronology
The Photo Album (2001) Transatlanticism (2003) Plans (2005)

Transatlanticism is the fourth studio album by Death Cab for Cutie, released October 7, 2003 on Barsuk Records. Prior to the album's release, Ben Gibbard stated: "...unlike The Photo Album, I feel like this record is definitely more like a proper album. We’ve tried to construct it with transitions of songs going in and out of each other, and I think it's a little bit more expansive than the last record."^[1]

The album peaked at number 97 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart.^[2] The album has been certified Gold in the U.S.^[3] It is available on CD, SACD, and vinyl.

The album is Jason McGerr's first as the band's drummer.^[4] The album was rated the 57th best of the decade by Rolling Stone.^[5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Pitchfork Media	(6.4/10) link
Rolling Stone	link
Slant Magazine	link
Spin	link
Sputnikmusic	link
Tiny Mix Tapes	link

The album received highly positive reviews, and is to date the band's most acclaimed album. Transatlanticism scored an 85 on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".^[6] Rob Theakston of Allmusic stated, "It's the group's maturity as musicians as well as songwriters that make Transatlanticism such a decadently good listen from start to finish" and gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars.^[7]

Among the most critical of the album was William Morris from Pitchfork Media, who stated, "Transatlanticism dulls the edges of their usually acute divinations", although he gave the album a positive review.^[8]

NPR Music named the album one of the fifty most important recordings of the decade.^[9]

References in popular culture

Tracks from Transatlanticism have been featured in several films and television shows. A poster of the album cover hangs in the bedroom of The O.C. character Seth Cohen, and a copy of the album is part of his "starter pack" during the first "Chrismukkah" episode. The song "A Lack of Color" is featured on Music From The OC: Mix 2. The song "Transatlanticism" was featured in a season four episode of Six Feet Under, both a season five and season nine episode of CSI: Miami ("Death Pool" and "Fallen"), an episode of Harper's Island, and the films The Puffy Chair and Disturbia. "The Sound of Settling" was featured on the soundtracks for Wedding Crashers, Shop Girl, and Mean Creek. The song "Passenger Seat" was featured in the Californication episode "Girls, Interrupted". Most recently the track "Transatlanticism" was used for the preview of the film Beastly and was featured in the movie Easy A.

The title track was also used in a Bell Mobility promotion leading up to the Beijing 2008 summer Olympic games.

Track listing

All songs written by Ben Gibbard except where noted, all lyrics by Ben Gibbard

1. "The New Year" (Ben Gibbard, Nick Harmer, Jason McGerr, and Chris Walla)  – 4:06
2. "Lightness"  – 3:30
3. "Title and Registration" (Gibbard and Walla)  – 3:39
4. "Expo '86" (Gibbard and Walla)  – 4:11
5. "The Sound of Settling"  – 2:12
6. "Tiny Vessels" (Gibbard and Harmer)  – 4:21
7. "Transatlanticism" (Gibbard and Walla)  – 7:55
8. "Passenger Seat"  – 3:41
9. "Death of an Interior Decorator"  – 2:56
10. "We Looked Like Giants" (Gibbard, Harmer, McGerr, and Walla)  – 5:32
11. "A Lack of Color"  – 3:35

Personnel

Death Cab for Cutie

• Benjamin Gibbard – vocals, guitar, piano
• Nick Harmer – bass guitar, vocals on "Transatlanticism", foot-stomp and hand clap effects on "The Sound of Settling"
• Jason McGerr – drums, foot-stomp and hand clap effects on "The Sound of Settling"
• Christopher Walla – guitar, keyboards, production, mixing (except "The Sound of Settling" and "Tiny Vessels"), recording, vocals on "Transatlanticism"
• Mike Kezner - sitar, vocals on "Death of an Interior Decorator"

Additional personnel

• Ed Brooks – mastering
• John Goodmanson – mixing on "The Sound of Settling" and "Tiny Vessels"
• Rob Herbst – foot-stomp and hand clap effects on "The Sound of Settling"
• Sean Nelson – vocals on "Transatlanticism"
• John Roderick – vocals on "Transatlanticism"
• Phil Wandscher – vocals on "Transatlanticism"

References

1. ^ discorder | that magazine from CiTR 101.9fm. Discorder.ca. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
2. ^ Billboard.com – Artist Chart History – Death Cab for Cutie
3. ^ Billboard RIAA Album Certifications
4. ^ Art Pop from Seattle's Death Cab for Cutie : NPR Music. Npr.org (2005-10-24). Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
5. ^ Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Albums, Songs Of The ’00s. Stereogum. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
6. ^ Transatlanticism. Metacritic. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
7. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r652164
8. ^ Pitchfork Media: Transatlanticism review. Pitchfork.com (2003-10-07). Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
9. ^ Boilen, Bob. (2009-11-16) The Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings : All Songs Considered Blog. NPR. Retrieved on July 7, 2011.