No, that’s not some shock-rocker pumping up his latest sonic gorefest, but Chris Walla, singer/songwriter, guitarist, and producer for the normally melodic pop group Death Cab for Cutie. That he’s invoking Hannibal Lecter-ish images and referencing an iconic experimental German rock outfit is just part of what seems a concerted effort by the Cuties to redefine themselves on their eighth full-length studio album, Narrow Stairs (Atlantic).

That the “Can jam” in question, “I Will Possess Your Heart,” is the disc’s first single should excite — or confound — longtime fans used to the gentle introspection of most of its work to date, including 2003’s breakthrough Transatlanticism (Barsuk) and its major-label debut, 2005’s Plans (Atlantic).

Stairs, Walla says, is “really weird . . . it’s totally a curve ball, and I think it’s gonna be a really polarizing record. But I’m really excited about it. It's really got some teeth. The landscape of the thing is way, way more lunar than the urban meadow sort of thing that has been happening for the last couple of records.”

One senses that taking time away from Death Cab for his solo album Field Manual (Barsuk) earlier this year has re-energized Walla, as well as bandmates Nick Harmer (bass), Jason McGerr (drums) and co-songwriter Ben Gibbard (lead vocals, guitar). The spectral “The Ice Is Getting Thinner” and the spaced-out “Pity and Fear,” not to mention several other “abrasive” (in Walla’s words) tunes, reveal a band that seems to be going for broke.

Harmer calls the collection “a sampling of the most uptempo, upbeat Death Cab songs, as well as some of our saddest. I hope this album is a bit of a surprise for those out there that think they have us all figured out,” says Harmer. “We can’t wait to share these songs with the world.” The group will be doing just that this summer, playing a number of festivals — including Bonnaroo and Coachella — in addition to headlining its own dates and, generally, calling its own shots.

“On [Plans] we were really making a lot of decisions based on what we felt other people were gonna think,” Walla declares. “But this record, there’s this kind of slightly malicious glee that we all have that it sounds kind of crazy. It’s pretty fun.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers	James Blunt	Chris Brown

Nods for the California-based foursome include Album of the Year and Best Rock Album for their Stadium Arcadium set, along with Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for the single "Dani California."

Corinne Bailey Rae	Carrie Underwood	Dixie Chicks

Also topping the BMI nominee list was James Blunt (PRS), who is up for five Grammys including Record and Song of the Year for his smash "You're Beautiful." The angel-voiced singer also hopes to add a Best New Artist Grammy to his growing list of awards and faces other BMI newcomers Chris Brown, Corinne Bailey Rae and Carrie Underwood.

will.i.am	John Williams	Gnarls Barkley

Israel Houghton	T.I.

Country trio the Dixie Chicks and Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am also took home five nominations each, with mentions in the Best Country Album and Producer of the Year categories, respectively. The in-demand producer's handful of potential Grammys includes two for himself and two with BEP, as well as one as part of the Jawbreaker production team that worked on Justin Timberlake's Album of Year entry, FutureSex/LoveSounds.

Gnarls Barkley, whose hit "Crazy" will battle for the coveted Record of the Year title, earned a total of four mentions, as did gospel giant Israel Houghton and Atlanta rapper T.I., who will vie for the Best Rap Song ("What You Know") and Best Rap Album (King) trophies. Celebrated film composer John Williams was also a four-time nominee and will compete against himself in both the movie score and instrumental composition categories.

Other big BMI names on the Grammy nominees list were Christina Aguilera, The Racontuers, Jamie Foxx, Calle 13, Jim McNeely, Death Cab for Cutie, Mos Def, Rascal Flatts, Donald Lawrence, Julieta Venegas (SGAE), Harry Gregson-Williams and Rosanne Cash.

Click here for a complete list of BMI Grammy nominees.

The band, which hails from Bellingham, WA, has roots that strike deep for their age, and transatlantic ones at that. Their name comes from the title of a song that 1960s absurdists the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band performed in the film Magical Mystery Tour. And an immediate link between main songwriter/guitarist Ben Gibbard and band producer/guitarist Chris Walla when they started working together in 1997 was their mutual affection for the cult Scottish pop-rock band Teenage Fanclub.

The band, which includes bassist Nick Harmer and, since 2003, drummer Jason McGarr, started out making records on a four-track recorder and with each album and tour have graduated to the next level, recording Plans at the famed Longview Farms studio in rural Massachusetts.

In contrast to much of the doom, gloom and anger that has dominated modern rock in recent years, DCFC is part of the wave of new romantic types that have recently arisen, like their peers Bright Eyes and Modest Mouse. “Probably 90 percent of all the songs that have ever been written are love songs,” observes Gibbard, who is adding to the catalog with his own flair, admittedly with a frequently heartbroken touch.

Bringing their own imaginative touches to the pop-rock style, Death Cab for Cutie is now poised to make their mark on musical history.]]> 2006-03-09T17:00:01-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/533076 Artists, Ben Gibbard, Death Cab For Cutie, R.E.M., Musicworld, Hitmaker On album number five, Plans, rising modern rock band Death Cab For Cutie has definitely arrived. It’s their first release on a major, Atlantic Records, after selling nearly half-a-million copies of their 2003 album, Transatlanticism, on the Seattle-based independent Barsuk label. And it comes on the heels of their high-profile participation in 2004’s Vote For Change tour, where they shared the stage with superstars like R.E.M., Pearl Jam and Bruce Springsteen. They also received the ultimate au courant cultural imprimatur when character Seth Cohen on the red-hot TV series The OC proclaimed Death Cab For Cutie as his favorite band.

The band, which hails from Bellingham, WA, has roots that strike deep for their age, and transatlantic ones at that. Their name comes from the title of a song that 1960s absurdists the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band performed in the film Magical Mystery Tour. And an immediate link between main songwriter/guitarist Ben Gibbard and band producer/guitarist Chris Walla when they started working together in 1997 was their mutual affection for the cult Scottish pop-rock band Teenage Fanclub.

The band, which includes bassist Nick Harmer and, since 2003, drummer Jason McGarr, started out making records on a four-track recorder and with each album and tour have graduated to the next level, recording Plans at the famed Longview Farms studio in rural Massachusetts.

In contrast to much of the doom, gloom and anger that has dominated modern rock in recent years, DCFC is part of the wave of new romantic types that have recently arisen, like their peers Bright Eyes and Modest Mouse. “Probably 90 percent of all the songs that have ever been written are love songs,” observes Gibbard, who is adding to the catalog with his own flair, admittedly with a frequently heartbroken touch.

Bringing their own imaginative touches to the pop-rock style, Death Cab for Cutie is now poised to make their mark on musical history.

Mariah Carey	Kanye West	John Legend

Mariah Carey's multi-platinum comeback album, The Emancipation of Mimi, and its smash single "We Belong Together," helped the pop singer score three of the most coveted Grammy nominations: Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. The hit ballad also picked up mentions for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, while Mimi added Best Contemporary R&B Album to Carey's haul.

Presenters for the 48th Annual Grammy Awards nominations included BMI songwriter/artists John Legend, CeCe Winans, Mariah Carey, Nickelback's Chad Kroeger and Patti LaBelle. Photo by S. Lovekin/WireImage

Rapper Kanye West continued his red hot streak, also earning nominations in the Album and Record of the Year categories with his sophomore release Late Registration and the hit "Gold Digger," respectively. He will compete against himself for the Album of the Year title as a producer on Carey's disc. As a songwriter, West will battle for the Best Rap Song crown with his "Diamonds from Sierra Leone," as well as Best R&B Song as a co-writer on the Alicia Keys track "Unbreakable."

Black Eyed Peas	Brooks & Dunn

Soul singer John Legend is up for Best New Artist, Best R&B Album for his debut Get Lifted, and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Song of the Year for "Ordinary People," which he also co-wrote. Legend joins his mentor Kanye West and rapper Common on the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ticket with "They Say."

Casting Crowns	Common

Coming in with six nominations was Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas who, as a songwriter, has a shot at Song of the Year and Best R&B Song as co-writer of Legend's "Ordinary People" and Best Rap Song for the Peas' hit "Don't Phunk with My Heart." The band is also up for Best Rap and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Death Cab for Cutie	Foo Fighters

In addition to Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Common earned three other mentions, including Best Rap Album for Be. Four nods also went to Foo Fighters, Gorillaz, Billy Childs and BMI producer/songwriters the Neptunes, who have production credits on two Album of the Year nominees -- Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi and Gwen Stefani's Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

The Game	Gorillaz	John Williams

Earning three nominations apiece were Sheryl Crow, with Best Female Pop Vocal Performance ("Good is Good"), Best Pop Vocal Album (Wildflower) and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for the single "Building Bridges," featuring Brooks & Dunn and Vince Gill; Eminem (Best Rap Solo Performance, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and Best Rap Album); and film composer John Williams, up for Best Score for Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, as well as for Best Instrumental Composition for both "Anakin's Betrayal" (from Revenge of the Sith) and "The Ferry Scene" (from the War of the Worlds soundtrack).

Maroon 5	Norah Jones	Sheryl Crow

Double nominees included rappers The Game and T.I., songwriter Marcus Hummon, singer Norah Jones and gospel diva CeCe Winans.

Other BMI songwriters and artists collecting Grammy nominations were Christina Aguilera, Dallas Austin, Casting Crowns, Eric Clapton (PRS), Death Cab for Cutie, Paquito D'Rivera, Danny Elfman, Fall Out Boy, Osvaldo Golijov, Dave Holland Big Band, Intocable, Keane (PRS), Maroon 5, Sugarland, Ying Yang Twins, and BMI Icons Charlie Daniels and Brian Wilson.

Sugarland		T.I.

The 48th Annual Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on February 8.

BMI's 2006 Grammy Award Nominees:

8 NOMINATIONS
Mariah Carey
John Legend
Kanye West

6 NOMINATIONS
William Adams

4 NOMINATIONS
Billy Childs
Common
Foo Fighters
Gorillaz (PRS)
The Neptunes

3 NOMINATIONS
Yolanda Adams
The Black Eyed Peas
Sheryl Crow
De La Soul
Eminem
Herbie Hancock
Faith Hill
Alison Krauss & Union Station
John Williams

2 NOMINATIONS
Bobby Boyd
Brooks & Dunn
Andrew Coleman
Andrew Dawson
Dixie Chicks
The Game
Michael Giacchino
Jeff Hanna
Marcus Hummon
Norah Jones
Delbert McClinton
Donnie McClurkin
Joel Moss
Willie Nelson
Al Schmitt
Fat Man Scoop
T.I.
The White Stripes
CeCe Winans

MORE NOMINEES
Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra with Arturo O'Farrill
Christina Aguilera
Trey Anastasio
Audio Adrenaline
Audioslave
John August
Dallas Austin
Ramon Ayala y Sus Bravos Del Norte
Marcia Ball
Ray Barretto
Steve Berkowitz
Big & Rich
Terence Blanchard
Eddie Blazonczyk's Versatones
Blue Highway
Printz Board
William Bolcom
Peter Boyer
Solomon Burke
Burning Spear (PRS)
Sam Bush
Gary Calamar
Caribbean Jazz Project featuring Dave Samuels Orishas (SACEM)
Kurt Carr
Casting Crowns
Christopher Cerf
Steven Curtis Chapman
Cherryholmes
The Chieftains (IMRO)
Willy Chirino
Eric Clapton (PRS)
Dorinda Clark-Cole
Conjunto Progreso
Ry Cooder
Stewart Copeland
The Crabb Family
Robert Cray
Bill Cunliffe
Rivers Cuomo
Daft Punk (PRS)
Charlie Daniels
Day of Fire
Death Cab for Cutie
Deep Dish
Mos Def
Jack De Johnette
The Del McCoury Band
Ani DiFranco
Jerry Douglas
Dave Douglas
Paquito D'Rivera
John Du Prez (PRS)
Jerry Duplessis
Nokie Edwards
Danny Elfman
Ahmet Ertegun
Bill Evans
Fall Out Boy
Sammy Figueroa
Béla Fleck
Floetry
David Foster
Jamie Foxx
Aretha Franklin
Kirk Franklin
Carlos Franzetti
Larry Gatlin
Joachim Garraud (SACEM)
Gilberto Gil
Vince Gill
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Osvaldo Golijov
The Grascals
Grits
Buddy Guy
Merle Haggard
John Hammond
Raiatea Helm
Dave Holland Big Band
Israel Houghton
Van Hunt
Eric Idle (PRS)
Intocable
Jamiroquai (PRS)
Jars of Clay
The Jazz Chamber Trio
Rodney Jerkins
Eric Johnson
George Jones
The Jordanaires
Ledward Ka'apana
Keane (PRS)
John P. Kee
Garison Keillor
Toby Keith
R. Kelly
B.B. King
Kitaro
Kraftwerk (GEMA)
Ladysmith Black Mambazo (SAMRO)
Las 3 Divas
La Secta Allstar
The Last Poets
La Tropa F
Donald Lawrence
Ricky Lewis
The Light Crust Doughboys
Lil Wayne
Harold Lily
Aaron Lindsey
Linkin Park
Little Joe
Los Lonely Boys
Los Pleneros de la 21
Andre Lyon
Maroon 5
Joeworn Martin
Martina McBride
Delbert McClinton
Vicky McGehee
Tim McGraw
Sarah McLachlan (SOCAN)
Meat Beat Manifesto
Pat Metheny Group
Luis Miguel
Mingus Big Band
Ministry
Keb Mo
Molotov
Rick Moranis (SOCAN)
Mudvayne
Martha Munizzi
Walter Murphy
Meshell Ndegeocello
North Mississippi Allstars
The Oak Ridge Boys
Claus Ogerman (GEMA)
Walter Ostanek (SOCAN)
George Pajon, Jr.
Eddie Palmieri
John Prine
Queens of the Stone Age
Rascal Flatts
Joshua Redman Elastic Band
Sonny Rollins
The Royal Jesters
Eddie Santiago
Marvin Sapp
Seal (PRS)
José Serebrier
Shakira
Wayne Shorter Quartet
Ron Sluga
Omar Sosa
Luciana Souza
Jimmy Sturr
Sugarland
Tierney Sutton
System of a Down
Ali Farka Touré (BUMDA)
Tiempo Libre
Turtle Island String Quartet
Keith Urban
Bebo Valdés
Marcello Valenzano
Louie Vega
Rhonda Vincent & the Rage
Brian Wilson
BeBe Winans
George Winston
Paul Winter Consort
Hugh Wolff
David Yazbek
Ying Yang Twins

Smoosh was born of natural curiosity. While the family stood in line at Seattle’s Trading Musician store to pay for what they had intended to purchase—a violin—Asya and Chloe wandered upstairs to the percussion room. There, they met Jason McGerr (Death Cab For Cutie), teacher at the renowned Seattle Drum School where Chloe now studies, and left with a $600 drum kit, Jason’s card, and no violin. Asya, having taken several piano lessons that she then aborted because “they made you just play the same thing, and I wanted to make stuff up,” joined in. A small, family-run website was launched that advertised free copies of home recordings. Soon, the duo played at Oregon’s booming, highly influential Rock and Roll Camp for Girls. Smoosh subsequently toured with Jimmy Eat World and played with Cat Power (who paid tribute to the band by lip synching their rap song, “Rad” at 2004’s Sasquatch! Music Festival), Rilo Kiley, Pearl Jam, Death Cab for Cutie, Sleater-Kinney, the Mates of State and the Presidents of the United States of America.

The band also hit 2004’s CMJ Music Festival and South By Southwest 2005. Stunning performances and word of mouth gave way to glowing and awestruck reviews by NME (who called them “the hottest new band in the US underground”), Boston Globe (“truly impressive”), Alternative Press (5 out of 5 stars), Seattle Weekly (“remarkable”), Vice (10 of 10), Devil in Woods (#8 in best of 2004 picks), and many others. Soon national radio and television embraced Smoosh, too.  The band’s Pattern 25 debut, She Like Electric, spent 9 weeks in the CMJ Top 200 charts this year, and charted #27 on Trip Wires’ Top 30...but that’s not all. LA’s influential KROQ and KCRW, Chicago’s WXRT, and Seattle’s KNDD have also leant the duo great airplay. After NPR’s “All Things Considered” and local Seattle NBC affiliate KING TV, ABC affiliate KOMO TV News and KONG TV interviewed the duo, Smoosh landed features on CNN and “The Today Show.”

All this attention has little to do with the fact that these ladies’ youth is impressive--anyone who investigates Smoosh out of a curiosity for novelty is quickly put in their place. The band’s visibility will continue to increase as it matures along with the public’s conception of what age bracket and gender is conducive to making music.

She Like Electric brims with intensely diverse and magically cohesive pop songs that amaze as they engage. The rich range of the sisters’ emotional spectrum factor as strongly into the flavor as vanilla extract: pure, simple and true. From the joyful and contemplative “To Walk Away From,” to the silly and giggly “The Quack,” to the angry and bittersweet “But Now I Know,” urgency prevails.  Smoosh is, above all, not afraid to make exactly the type of beautiful, varied music they want to. You know why? Because they’re feelin’ it. And so will you.

Visit BMI's Sundance 2005 Site
Doreen Ringer Ross	Alexander Desplat	BT
Vice President, BMI Film & Television	Composer, “The Upside of Anger,” “Girl With A Pearl Earring”	Composer, “The Fast and The Furious,” “Monster”

The roundtable, entitled "Music & Film: The Creative Process," will feature composers and directors on Wednesday, January 26 from 11am to 1pm at the Sundance House (Kimball Art Center, 638 Park Avenue.) Moderated by BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross, Vice President of Film/TV Relations, panelists include director/actor Kevin Bacon ("Loverboy," "Losing Chase"), BMI composer Michael Bacon ("Loverboy," "Losing Chase"), director Melissa Painter ("Steal Me," "Wildflowers"), BMI composer George S. Clinton ("A Dirty Shame," "Austin Powers"), BMI composer Rolfe Kent ("The Matador," "Sideways," "Mean Girls"), director Richard Shepard ("The Matador"), BMI composer Walter Werzowa ("The Devil and Daniel Johnston"), director Jeff Fenerzeig ("The Devil and Daniel Johnston"), BMI composer Ed Shearmur ("Nine Lives," "Charlie's Angels"), director Rodrigo Garcia ("Nine Lives," "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her"), composer Alexander Desplat ("The Upside of Anger," "Girl With a Pearl Earring"), BMI composer BT ("The Fast and the Furious," "Monster"), BMI composer Aaron Zigman ("John Q," "The Notebook") and Sundance Composers Lab director Peter Golub.

Ed Shearmur	George S. Clinton	Jeff Feuerzeig
Composer, “Nine Lives,” “Charlie’s Angels”	Composer, “A Dirty Shame,” “Austin Powers”	Director, “The Devil and Daniel Johnston”

The third annual BMI Songwriters Snowball will also take place on January 26 at the Sundance House, from 6pm until 8pm. The show will feature acoustic performances by Interscope recording artist Vanessa Carlton, Maverick recording artist Keaton Simons, Atlantic recording artist Joe Firstman, Barsuk/Atlantic recording artist Ben Gibbard (lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service), and Zoe/Rounder Records recording artist and actress Minnie Driver.

Kevin Bacon	Melissa Painter	Michael Bacon
Director, “Loverboy,” “Losing Chase”	Director, “Steal Me,” “Wildflowers”	Composer, “Loverboy,” “Losing Chase”

Admittance to both events is for Sundance Film Festival badges, press passes or by invitation only; tickets will not be sold for these events.

Peter Golub	Richard Shepard	Rodrigo Garcia
Composer, “The Laramie Project,” and Director, Sundance Composers Lab	Director, “The Matador”	Director, “Nine Lives,” “Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her”

Rolfe Kent	Walter Werzowa
Composer, “The Matador,” “Sideways,” “Mean Girls”	Composer, “The Devil and Daniel Johnston”