Something About Airplanes
| Something About Airplanes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Death Cab for Cutie | ||||
| Released | August 18, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1998 | |||
| Studio | Hall of Justice | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 43:18 | |||
| Label | Barsuk/Elsinor | |||
| Producer | Chris Walla | |||
| Death Cab for Cutie chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| The Austin Chronicle | [2] |
| Paste | (8.6/10)[3] |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.1/10)[4] |
| PopMatters | (Album) (Extras)[5] |
| Rolling Stone |  [6] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [7] |
Something About Airplanes is the debut studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released August 18, 1998 on Barsuk Records. A remastered anniversary version of the album was released on November 25, 2008.
Early recordings of five songs from this album can be found on the You Can Play These Songs with Chords compilation.
A tenth anniversary edition of the album was released on November 25, 2008, featuring redesigned artwork, liner notes by Sean Nelson and a bonus disc including the band's first ever Seattle performance at the Crocodile Cafe in February 1998.[8]
Songs
"The Face That Launched 1000 Shits" is a cover of an original song by Revolutionary Hydra, a band that DCFC guitarist Chris Walla and lead singer/guitarist Ben Gibbard belonged to. The song was actually wrote the song by Jay Chilcote. The song’s title is a play on the phrase “The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships”, attributed to Helen of Troy whose supposed unmatched beauty led to the Trojan War (after Paris, Prince of Troy, kidnapped her from Sparta and her husband King Menelaus).
Artwork
Despite the title referring to airplanes, the image on the album cover is of a rowboat. The image is actually seen through a hole in the cover and a sheet of vellum.[9] Like some of the band's 2000 releases, the text is set entirely in lower case.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bend to Squares" | Ben Gibbard, Christopher Walla | 4:33 |
| 2. | "President of What?" | Gibbard | 4:01 |
| 3. | "Champagne from a Paper Cup" | Gibbard | 2:38 |
| 4. | "Your Bruise" | Gibbard, Walla | 4:19 |
| 5. | "Pictures in an Exhibition" | Gibbard | 3:49 |
| 6. | "Sleep Spent" | Gibbard, Walla | 3:37 |
| 7. | "The Face That Launched 1000 Shits" | Jay Chilcote | 3:41 |
| 8. | "Amputations" | Gibbard | 4:54 |
| 9. | "Fake Frowns" | Gibbard, Walla | 4:30 |
| 10. | "Line of Best Fit" | Gibbard | 7:16 |
| Reissue bonus disc – Live at the Crocodile Cafe, February 1998 | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 11. | "Your Bruise" | |
| 12. | "President of What?" | |
| 13. | "Fake Frowns" | |
| 14. | "Sweet and Tender Hooligan" (feat. Sean Nelson) | |
| 15. | "State Street Residential" | |
| 16. | "Amputations" | |
| 17. | "Pictures in an Exhibition" | |
Personnel
Death Cab for Cutie
- Ben Gibbard – vocals, guitar, small piano
- Nathan Good – drums, mixing
- Nick Harmer – bass guitar
- Christopher Walla – guitar, organ, electric piano, things, production, mixing
Additional personnel
- Abi Hall – vocals on "Line of Best Fit"
- Erika Jacobs – writing and cello arrangement on "Bend to Squares" and "The Face That Launched 1000 Shits".
- Tony Lash – mastering
Live at the Crocodile Cafe, February 1998
- Chuck MacIan Robertson – recording
- Sean Nelson – performer on "Sweet and Tender Hooligan"
Notes
- ↑ Abebe, Nitsuh. Something About Airplanes at AllMusic. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
- ↑ Stevens, Darcie (December 19, 2008). "Death Cab for Cutie: Something About Airplanes (Barsuk)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- ↑ Killingsworth, Jason (January 21, 2009). "Death Cab For Cutie: Something About Airplanes (Limited-Edition Deluxe 2-disc) :: Music :: Reviews". Paste. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
- ↑ Cohen, Ian (November 26, 2008). "Death Cab for Cutie: Something About Airplanes". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
- ↑ Jayasuriya, Mehan (December 5, 2008). "Death Cab for Cutie: Something About Airplanes (Deluxe Edition)". PopMatters. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
- ↑ Walters, Barry (December 11, 2008). "Something About Airplanes Deluxe Edition". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
- ↑ Mr. P. "Something about Airplanes". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
- ↑ "Death Cab For Cutie: News". Official Death Cab for Cutie Website. Retrieved October 3, 2008.
- ↑ Tim Frommer. "DAA Artist Archive: Death Cab for Cutie". Dancing About Architecture. Retrieved April 13, 2008.