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Death Cab for Cutie — Black Sun
Album: Kintsugi
Avg rating:
7.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1387









Released: 2015
Length: 4:47
Plays (last 30 days): 0
There is whiskey in the water
And there is death upon the vine
There is fear in the eyes of your father
And there is "Yours" and there is "Mine"
There is a desert veiled in pavement
And there's a city of seven hills
And all our debris flows to the ocean
To meet again, I hope it will

How could something so fair
Be so cruel
When this black sun revolved
Around you

There is an answer in a question
And there is hope within despair
And there is beauty in a failure
And there are depths beyond compare
There is a role of a lifetime
And there's a song yet to be sung
And there's a dumpster in the driveway
Of all the plans that came undone

How could something so fair
Be so cruel
When this black sun revolved
Around you
How could something so fair
Be so cruel
When this black sun revolved
Around you

There is whiskey in the water
And there is death upon the vine
And there is grace within forgiveness
But it's so hard for me to find

How could something so fair
Be so cruel
When this black sun revolved
Around you
How could something so fair
Be so cruel
When this black sun revolved
Around you
Comments (56)add comment
An interesting "restoration" of the photo in the cover art: https://imgur.com/a/Mq7Kt
+1 for cool band name.
And there's a dumpster in the driveway
Of all the plans that came undone

Brilliant 
If a band can get one good album out, it's an accomplishment. 
PLANS was theirs,  but  why stop after that?
 JoeHaarlemNL wrote:

A 9. And I want to have shares in RP too. 



Plus One. An RP classic!

That fuzz guitar line just totally gets me. 
I can't get enough of this song.  Every time I listen to this album I end up putting Black Sun on repeat.
 lizardking wrote:

Thanks for sharing!  I really dig some of the Eastern concepts, and this Kintsugi is one of the cooler ones in my mind.  Us Western folks (OK, the US in particular) seem driven by what's next, and the ephemerality of things.  I'm a bit more patient than that, and enjoy the moment more than anything.  Long Live RP!!

It's also been called a "depression mentality"... The philosophy of not just throwing things away because they're broken but repairing them. One of the
best examples is in Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, when the Joad's Essex breaks
down and Tom goes to a junkyard and gets a used main bearing to repair it. I
can relate since I'm still everyday driving my '71 VW Bus that I bought in '80
for $300...Altho' as soon as I get my money out of it, I'm considering selling it.

Tony in NJ
W.A.S.T.E.
 

 spinningspirit wrote:
so melancholy. Influence of his divorce from actress Zooey Deschanel in 2012, maybe. 
 
That's for sure....3rd and 4th line of the song are: 

There is fear in the eyes of your father, 
And there is "Yours" and there is "Mine"

This one's slowly moving up for me, it's not a 7 anymore, it's an 8.  Long Live RP!!
The singer's voice reminds me a bit of Lloyd Cole .   .   . really like this song.
Great song, great album !!!

         
I was never that impressed with DCFC but the newest album by them has given me such an incredible appreciation for them!  Play more of that one Bill and Rebecca please!
 themusicroob wrote:
Not sure if this has been mentioned elsewhere, but Kintsugi (the name of this album) is, according the Wikipedia, "is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum, a method similar to the maki-e technique. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise." Super good name for an album.


 
Thanks for sharing!  I really dig some of the Eastern concepts, and this Kintsugi is one of the cooler ones in my mind.  Us Western folks (OK, the US in particular) seem driven by what's next, and the ephemerality of things.  I'm a bit more patient than that, and enjoy the moment more than anything.  Long Live RP!!
My lad, who is now just coming up on 13, considers DCFC to be his favourite band.  I am pleased.

edit 4 years later:  he's gone off them now a bit as he thinks too much of their music revolves around breakup.  I'm also glad that he is more cheery than me...
Not sure if this has been mentioned elsewhere, but Kintsugi (the name of this album) is, according the Wikipedia, "is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum, a method similar to the maki-e technique. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise." Super good name for an album.

Good voice for ....
Great album, maybe their best.
 
so melancholy. Influence of his divorce from actress Zooey Deschanel in 2012, maybe. 
 
I think that, like Spinal Tap, they've gone through a number of drummers, but the current one has been with them since 2003. He's really good: I often find the drums to be my favorite part of a DCFC song. 


OceanBlue wrote:
Their drummer is immensely talented, and actually very respected in the percussion world (I know, I know, are we listening to the same DCFC?)

His parts are always creative with a capital C, especially on these softer and creepier tracks.

 


 slider23 wrote:
9 for drum section.

  Their drummer is immensely talented, and actually very respected in the percussion world (I know, I know, are we listening to the same DCFC?)

His parts are always creative with a capital C, especially on these softer and creepier tracks.


Yeah, going to go ahead and bump this to an "8".  {#Cool}
I like it, nice voice just feel its missing something.. 
I am not all that crazy about DCFC, and this is a solid 9.  I am definitely buying this album now.
A 9. And I want to have shares in RP too. 
Alright, alright!  You win.  I'll buy it......

edit:  it was worth it.
DCFC has just bought shares in RP, or what?    airplay seems to be thrugh the roof.   most songs seem to be very creepy when over listened.   I can see why she left him now.
9 for drum section.
 BBoyes wrote:
Anyone else hear Willie Nelson on this one? I mean that in a positive sense.

 
Ha ha...I just made the same comment and then said to myself....hmmm I wonder if someone already posted that already and sure enough....definitely hear the Willie Nelson voice waver and kinda the same timbre.
Does this guy sound kinda like a young Willie Nelson or is it just me....ha ha. I love this BTW.
Another great song from deathcab.

Love it! 
Not too whiny. That's a plus.
I don't think I've heard anything by this band here on RP that I didn't like, yet I don't own anything yet. I'll have to fix that.
 zenben wrote:
The Decemberists, Death Cab and about 10 other artists this morning (i am on central Europe Daylight Savings time now)...are they using the same book on Cliches and also vocal teachers? My God, this is actually worse than all those seattle bands using Ray Charles voice in the 90's...like they invented it! Oy, Bill, the check please!

 
Europe was conned into daylight savings too?!!!  Does this madness know no end?

Also, calling for the check on a listener supported radio station is in bad form.  Just leave quietly, preferably with a nice tip on the table. 
The Decemberists, Death Cab and about 10 other artists this morning (i am on central Europe Daylight Savings time now)...are they using the same book on Cliches and also vocal teachers? My God, this is actually worse than all those seattle bands using Ray Charles voice in the 90's...like they invented it! Oy, Bill, the check please!
Excellent song, excellent band!
This band never caught my attention until the past couple of years.  A few of these new tracks are really impressive!
Cool video of this on NPR's "Tiny Desk Concerts": https://www.npr.org/event/music/397696708/death-cab-for-cutie-tiny-desk-concert
 gusthemonkey wrote:
ooooh.. like this alot on first listen. It sort of worms its way into your ear.    The vocal is very reminiscent of someone .. can't quite place it yet, but this one had me walk across the room and click to see " who is that "  

Love it when that happens . (-:  

 

Had me thinking of Shawn Mullins at first.
I like this too. 
 gusthemonkey wrote:
ooooh.. like this alot on first listen. It sort of worms its way into your ear.    The vocal is very reminiscent of someone .. can't quite place it yet, but this one had me walk across the room and click to see " who is that "  

Love it when that happens . (-:  

 
Also had first-listen big thumbs up. The opening and the march-step plangent guitar rhythm remind me of The Church's "Numbers" from "After Everything Now This." The vocals don't quite match with those of The Church. 

This is a welcome alternative to DCFC's unvarying archness in "Codes and Keys." 
Interesting existential evocative lyrics. But Death Cab's sound is getting kind of old. I remember their early, more vibrant, less pensive tracks. More of that, please. 
 
 jules44 wrote:
time to turn it up LOUD!!!

 
Yup...bumping to an 8.
time to turn it up LOUD!!!
Anyone else hear Willie Nelson on this one? I mean that in a positive sense.

There is an answer in a question
And there is hope within despair
And there is beauty in a failure,
And there are depths beyond compare
There is a role of a lifetime
And there's a song yet to be sung
And there's a dumpster in the driveway
Of all the plans that came undone

How could something so fair
Be so cruel
When this black sun revolved
Around you!


Miss Misery.
I'm going to guess this is about divorce.
Love the sparkling tone of the guitar.   
I like it! Thanks Bill. Been a while since we've heard some new songs from Death Cab.
This is one of those songs that grows on me more and more with each listen.
Thanks RP for introducing me to DCFC so many years ago!
 
 RadioBow wrote:
RP is either getting creative with us or has a 45 and accidentally switched speeds
 
Fixed.  Think so, anyway...
RP is either getting creative with us or has a 45 and accidentally switched speeds
First listening:{#Music} WOW I Like it, I Like it, Yes! 
Does this track cut out before the first chorus and slow down/get lower for anyone else? This is the second time I've heard it happen to this song this week. It sounds like there's something wrong with the audio file. Can't tell if it's just me. Listening via the Android app. 
Enjoying a lot - playing the older guy spotting the influences as always, its very Neil like.
 gusthemonkey wrote:
ooooh.. like this alot on first listen. It sort of worms its way into your ear.    The vocal is very reminiscent of someone .. can't quite place it yet, but this one had me walk across the room and click to see " who is that "  

Love it when that happens . (-:  

 
Yeah,  I get that as well. Nice this.......
ooooh.. like this alot on first listen. It sort of worms its way into your ear.    The vocal is very reminiscent of someone .. can't quite place it yet, but this one had me walk across the room and click to see " who is that "  

Love it when that happens . (-:  
Oh, I like this a lot, particularly on first hearing....
Not bad!