Death Cab For Cutie ‘The Photo Album’ Turns 20 With Expanded Reissue

The third album for ‘Death Cab For Cutie’ ‘The Photo Album’ was released on 9 October 2021.

The new version features the original album and the three bonus tracks originally released with its first CD pressing (which were later released in 2002 as The Stability E.P.), all newly remastered. There’s also covers of Björk’s “All Is Full of Love” and The Stone Roses’ “I Wanna Be Adored” among its 35 tracks, along with other rarities and UK b-sides which have never been available on digital services, previously unreleased tracks, and, finally, all of the band’s original demos for the album”.

The release had its hardships. The Photo Album was off to a great start in the fall of 2001, until one of the two biggest record distribution companies in the United States, Valley Distribution, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and went immediately out of business. With it went the money owed to Barsuk for the album’s first 20,000 sales. This financial and morale blow, all while the band was in the midst of its latest grueling tour behind its third album in as many years, took a toll that almost stopped DCfC in its tracks. “We almost broke up a couple times on that tour,” Gibbard said. “This thing went from something we were doing for fun at a house in Bellingham because we’re all friends to, now we don’t see our other friends, because we’re doing the band all the time.”

He added, “What that period gave us was the opportunity to push it all the way to the edge, personally and creatively, and go, OK, wait a second, this is important to us. We are friends. This is worth saving. This is worth continuing to do. That really opened up the creative playfield that would become our next album, Transatlanticism. We finally recognized that we love doing this — we just needed a break once in a while.”

The digital edition of the album is streaming now. Physical copies are coming. Expect then in the first half of 2022.

Tracklisting
[The Photo Album]
1. Steadier Footing
2. A Movie Script Ending
3. We Laugh Indoors
4. Information Travels Faster
5. Why You’d Want To Live Here
6. Blacking Out The Friction
7. I Was A Kaleidoscope
8. Styrofoam Plates
9. Coney Island
10. Debate Exposes Doubt

[The Stability E.P.]
11. 20th Century Towers
12. All Is Full Of Love [Björk cover]
13. Stability

[Rarities & Unreleased Recordings]
14. Gridlock Caravans [previously on THE PHOTO ALBUM vinyl LP only]
15. Information Travels Faster (Alternate Lyric Demo) [unreleased]
16. I Wanna Be Adored (Live) [Stone Roses cover, from YETI TWO MAGAZINE COMPILATION CD]
17. I Was A Kaleidoscope (Live) [UK b-side]
18. We Laugh Indoors (Dub) [UK b-side]
19. Debate Exposes Doubt (Acoustic) [UK b-side]
20. A Movie Script Ending (Acoustic) [from WICKER PARK SOUNDTRACK ALBUM]
21. I Was A Kaleidoscope (Acoustic, Live on KEXP) [unreleased]
22. Corny Island (Studio Outtake) [unreleased]
23. We Laugh Indoors (UK Single Mix) [UK b-side]

[Band Demos]
24. Steadier Footing (Acoustic Studio Outtake) [from COMES WITH A SMILE #9MAGAZINE COMPILATION CD]
25. A Movie Script Ending (Band Demo) [unreleased]
26. We Laugh Indoors (Band Demo) [unreleased]
27. Information Travels Faster (Band Demo) [unreleased]
28. Why You’d Want To Live Here (Band Demo) [unreleased]
29. Blacking Out The Friction (Band Demo) [unreleased]
30. I Was A Kaleidoscope (Band Demo) [unreleased]
31. Styrofoam Plates (Band Demo) [unreleased]
32. Coney Island (Band Demo) [UK CD-single hidden track]
33. Debate Exposes Doubt (Band Demo) [unreleased]
34. 20th Century Towers (Band Demo) [unreleased]
35. Stable Song (Band Demo) [unreleased]

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