High-quality B-sides

EPs are often disappointing, poor-quality B-sides, rarities and live cuts. But that is not the case with Death Cab for Cutie’s latest, “The Open Door.”

The five tracks that make up this short album might not have been good enough to make it on their previous release, “Narrow Stairs,” but these tracks are definitely strong enough to stand on their own.

Remnants from “Narrow Stairs” creep into this new release.

“A Diamond and a Tether” includes the melancholic sounds from “The Ice is Getting Thinner” on “Stairs.”

“My Mirror Speaks” could’ve made the “Stairs” cut. It echoes much of Death Cab’s earlier music, like 2001’s “The Photo Album,” which is more guitar-heavy and upbeat.
“I Was Once a Loyal Lover” is another testament to Gibbard’s excellent lyricism and straightforward messages. The music is solid and well-thought-out, but don’t expect any technical displays of talent, as is the case with most of Death Cab’s songs.

One letdown on this EP is the demo version of “Little Bird,” a song on “Stairs.” It’s simply Gibbard and what sounds like a mandolin, and makes me feel like its inclusion was purely for filler.

In “Mirror,” Gibbard sums up the EP in just one line: “A new position for a different view, and nothing changes but the slightest hue.”

If this EP is to stand on its own and not be compared to “Stairs,” consider it a new version of an old painting done with new colors, but crafted by a masterful hand.