As the poster boys for 21st century mainstream "emotional" rock, Death Cab For Cutie has a lot to live up to. The Seattle-based quartet has been perfecting its recognizable brand of easy-listening emotive rock since 1997, earning a loyal fan base and recent major label support. The band's 2005 LP Plans - its first major-label release through Atlantic Records - was a college radio hit and won the band its first Grammy nomination.

On the band's 7th studio LP, Narrow Stairs, Death Cab takes a daring chance by playing with a darker, more innovative sound. These changes show both the band's malleability and what it values in the creative process of recording an album. If making money and securing more album sales were the band's top priorities, it could've easily churned out Plans 2.0 - a collection of sugary, easy-to-digest, proto-indie pop tunes for a mainstream radio audience. Instead, the band pushes itself creatively and the end product is a decidedly different Death Cab For Cutie album. The new LP is a departure from Death Cab's earlier sound and will likely be a turning point in the band's music-making career.

Although Narrow Stairs can hardly be called Death Cab's most digestible album, the LP marks a few key changes in the band's creative approach. Rather than revert to cryptic messages and subtleties, each of the album's song titles refers to a specific line in the given song. Likewise, the album's lyrics are fairly direct and don't require an English B.A. for proper analysis. One typical example can be found on the borderline-sugary post-breakup track "Your New Twin Sized Bed." As if the song's title isn't direct enough, the track opens with the following verse: "You look so defeated lying there in your new twin sized bed / With a single pillow underneath your single head." By the song's end, its content has been spoon-fed ad nauseam and there is little room for the listener's own interpretation. While these changes might displease diehard Death Cab fans who revel in approaching singer-songwriter Ben Gibbard's words as though they're gospel, this cautious reworking will remove the band from the realm of "indie pretentiousness" and will likely secure those mainstream fans who are looking for soft-rocking beats rather than obscure wordplay.

From a technical stance, Narrow Stairs experiments with different sounds that haven't been heard on previous Death Cab albums. The band's producer and guitarist Chris Walla explained to Billboard Magazine in late 2007 that the synth-punk group Brainiac had been a major influence and that the new album would feature some jam-band inspired experimentations. The latter can certainly be heard in the intro of the album's first single, aptly titled "I Will Possess Your Heart." Clocking in at over eight minutes, the song is cut for radio play but the full version is necessary to appreciate its full depth. The track's overextended intro - complete with a low, repetitive bassline and slices of piano keys - is one of the album's most ambitious deviations, taking the typically quirky pop band to uncharted musical territory. The cut's dark and foreboding introduction fits perfectly with its theme of unrequited attraction, creating an atypically dusky atmosphere not normally associated with the upbeat band.

Another experimental attempt is heard on the prog-rock-inspired track "Pity and Fear." Continuing the album's dark theme, the track exhibits a groovy synth-based intro, followed by a consistent drum beat and sharp guitar strings. It's sole failing is the unnecessarily abrupt ending. Gibbard and company may have fancied themselves producers of "The Sopranos," but this sudden ending nearly ruins what is one of Death Cab's best works; a simple fade to silence would have been more appropriate.

Of course, the album doesn't miss the typical quirky tracks that put Death Cab on the indie radar this past decade. Along with the aforementioned "Your Twin Sized Bed," the LP is brimming with the quintessential post-breakup pop tracks found splattered across the band's long back catalogue. These cuts range from the simple and undeniably easy-going ("No Sunlight," "You Can Do Better Than Me") to more old-school tracks, reminiscent of the band's Photo Album-era ("Cath...," "Long Division"). Although these songs add balance to the album's more obscure tracks, they also show the band's unwillingness to completely sever ties to its sunnier, pop-orientated past.

It would have been interesting to see the band take an entirely new direction musically, major record label be damned. As a compromise, Narrow Stairs shows Death Cab's capacity to experiment with new sounds albeit still churning out poppy hits. The end result is certainly a change of pace for the band, but seasoned Death Cab fans will appreciate the band's desire to branch out while reaching for new musical horizons.