Score: 2.5/5
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold or silver lacquer in order to appreciate the beauty in broken things, which serves as a metaphor for Death Cab For Cutie’s correctly titled eighth album.
It’s an obvious breakup album, highlighting strong emotions about life and love, with a focus on previous relationships.
However, die-hard fans can rest easy knowing the band did not stray from their usual sound. “Kintsugi” keeps the band’s original alternative/indie rock tune throughout the dismal album, which is nothing new, as the band has always had a darker undertone in its upbeat songs.
The opening track “No Room In Frame” pens the lyric, “I don’t know where to begin,” a sign of the band’s uncertainty about its future after this album.
The remaining tracks go on in the same manner, channeling more of the personal distress and experiences of lead singer Ben Gibbard.
“The Ghosts of Beverly Drive” recount what it’s like for Gibbard to return to a place once important to him. The song goes on to note the faults of each person and recognizes why they can’t be together, saying, “So let us not be lonesome.”
The halfway mark on the album is “Hold No Guns,” a song about a lover Gibbard can’t seem to keep in his life. This is evident in the lyric, “My love why do you run? For my hands hold no guns.”
The closing track, “Binary Sea,” is the only one to focus on a piano melody, harping on the loss of a relationship.
It’s possible the relationship Gibbard focuses on is his previous marriage to Zooey Deschanel of “New Girl” fame. Their divorce was finalized in 2012, but it’s apparent Gibbard is still struggling to move past it.
While the album is far from the best work the band has ever done, it’s one of the more serious ballads from it.
Judging from this album, Death Cab For Cutie won’t be leaving the music scene any time soon, and listeners can expect the band to have a slightly different sound now that Walla is not present.