Arriving one year after the release of
Narrow Stairs, the five-song
Open Door EP pairs four abandoned tracks from the
Narrow Stairs sessions with a ukulele-helmed demo of
"Talking Bird." Although it's certainly a stopgap recording -- released just before the bandmates' final tour in support of
Narrow Stairs, and intended to maintain their popularity throughout the subsequent retreat to the recording studio --
Open Door is also a strong display of
Death Cab's literate, poetry-major pop, with fast tempos and bright melodies that sometimes contrast
Narrow Stairs' autumnal moments. These once-discarded tracks don't sound any less tuneful than the band's recent output;
"Little Bribes," in particular, could have bumped a lesser song off of the
Narrow Stairs track list with its power pop bounce, while
"My Mirror Speaks" wields a winsomely ascending chorus that finds
Ben Gibbard reaching into his falsetto. Such tunes may not have suited the bittersweet beauty of
Stairs, but they're quite good in their own right, making
The Open Door EP something more than a fans-only release. The only arguable misstep is the demo version of
"Talking Bird" (the only song to appear on
Narrow Stairs, albeit in different form), whose bare-boned arrangement lacks the shifting dynamics of
Death Cab's best material. ~ Andrew Leahey