Concertwire.com

By their seventh studio album, many bands are running out of creative steam and original ideas. But in the case of Death Cab for Cutie, nothing could be further from the truth. Codes and Keys is singular in the quartet's catalog when it comes to sonic exploration and lyrical ambition. If anything, the band has never sounded more excited to experiment with textures, words, sounds and even the process of recording itself. Unlike the studio process for 2008's Grammy-nominated Narrow Stairs - an album the band recorded to tape in real time, with minimal overdubs and studio trickery - Codes and Keys turned into what guitarist/multi-instrumentalist/producer Chris Walla has taken to calling a "construction project." The band focused on capturing the best take of their parts - at times separately, at other times in pairs - and built songs by layering these performances (and other musical ideas) on top of each other. Staticky percussion chatters beneath several layers of bustling rhythms and echoing, spooky vocals. The lush instrumentation continues with the title track, on which strings from San Francisco's Magik*Magik Orchestra sway in time with oompah drums and graceful vaudeville piano. As a special treat Death Cab for Cutie will be performing with Magik*Magik Orchestra at the Tennessee Theatre. Magik*Magik is a collective of players who perform live onstage and in the recording studio to produce unique artistic projects.