Wednesday, October 14, 2009

sweet sounds: Death Cab for Cutie + The Postal Service!

For our second dip into the sweet sounds of aloft, I'm going to be looking at the twin successes of Northwest-local singer Ben Gibbard: Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service!

Gibbard had the unusual feat of having two successful bands operating at the same time: Death Cab since 1997, and The Postal Service from 2001-2005. His trademark voice is easily recognized with either, and both turned out a series of hits with lasting appeal.

While Death Cab has been together and completed six albums, The Postal Service came about after a brief remix collaboration between Gibbard and producer Jimmy Tamborello. They clicked so well they decided to start a band, of which most of their creations were done through the mail---hence the name. ("Death Cab for Cutie", one of the more memorable band names out there, comes from the title of a song in the 1967 Beatles' film Magical Mystery Tour).

The relaxing electro- and rock-pop sounds of both acts waft through the aloft on a very regular basis---rarely a night goes by where Gibbard's voice isn't heard here. The selection has impressed some important guests, too; an exchange between a VIP singer and a bandmate as they were sliding over to the lifts here:

"Hey, dude..."
"What?"
"Listen to what's playing."
"What?"
"The Postal Service!"
"Oh, awesome!"

:) The aloft sounds apparently have the huge-band seal of approval (a song by Bon Iver excited the VIP even more later).

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To hear a wide sampling of Gibbard and his bands' works, quick-click through here to the Death Cab and Postal Service Myspaces (the Death Cab page having entire albums streaming free!), and keep your ears peeled while lounging away here... :)

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