A month and a half ago, one of my dreams came true: I was within ten feet of Ben Gibbard, one of the greatest indie rock musicians of all time. In my opinion, that is.
Lead singer of the Seattle-based band Death Cab for Cutie (DCFC), Gibbard stood on the Les Schwab Amphitheater stage belting out lyrics to one of my favorite songs.
“The Atlantic was born today and I’ll tell you how
The clouds above opened up and let it out
I was standing on the surface of a perforated sphere
When the water filled every hole
And thousands upon thousands made an ocean
Making islands where no island should go”
The song, Transatlanticism, is beautiful, poetic, entrancing… but makes little to no sense on the first go-around. So I did some research into its meaning and found out that when DCFC recoded Transatlantacism, Gibbard was enduring a painful separation from his girlfriend. The two spent a lot of time apart while touring and working on their respective musical careers. In this song (and on the rest of the album), Gibbard sings of their physical and emotional distance from each other.
The “ocean” he speaks of is literal. While his girlfriend was touring in Europe, Gibbard was in Seattle. So it would seem natural for Gibbard’s song to revolve around the Atlantic as an obstacle in their relationship.
If you haven’t yet experienced the lyrical genius of DCFC (or had the chance to decipher their tunes yourself), I suggest you pick up a copy of their latest album, Narrow Stairs. It’s been on repeat in my Oldsmobile for the past month.
Lead singer of the Seattle-based band Death Cab for Cutie (DCFC), Gibbard stood on the Les Schwab Amphitheater stage belting out lyrics to one of my favorite songs.
“The Atlantic was born today and I’ll tell you how
The clouds above opened up and let it out
I was standing on the surface of a perforated sphere
When the water filled every hole
And thousands upon thousands made an ocean
Making islands where no island should go”
The song, Transatlanticism, is beautiful, poetic, entrancing… but makes little to no sense on the first go-around. So I did some research into its meaning and found out that when DCFC recoded Transatlantacism, Gibbard was enduring a painful separation from his girlfriend. The two spent a lot of time apart while touring and working on their respective musical careers. In this song (and on the rest of the album), Gibbard sings of their physical and emotional distance from each other.
The “ocean” he speaks of is literal. While his girlfriend was touring in Europe, Gibbard was in Seattle. So it would seem natural for Gibbard’s song to revolve around the Atlantic as an obstacle in their relationship.
If you haven’t yet experienced the lyrical genius of DCFC (or had the chance to decipher their tunes yourself), I suggest you pick up a copy of their latest album, Narrow Stairs. It’s been on repeat in my Oldsmobile for the past month.
-Natalie Troyer (soon to be Stollar)
LYRICS:
The Atlantic was born today and I'll tell you how...
The Atlantic was born today and I'll tell you how...
The clouds above opened up and let it out.
I was standing on the surface of a perforated sphere
When the water filled every hole.
And thousands upon thousands made an ocean,
Making islands where no island should go.
Oh no.
Those people were overjoyed; they took to their boats.
I thought it less like a lake and more like a moat.
The rhythm of my footsteps crossing flatlands to your door have been silenced forever more.
The distance is quite simply much too far for me to row
It seems farther than ever beforeOh no.
I need you so much closer
I need you so much closer
So come on, come on
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