Last month Death Cab For Cutie returned to the spotlight with "You Are A Tourist," the great first single and video from their forthcoming Codes And Keys. A sunny addition to our spring playlist, it recalls brighter moments of mid-period Cure when it's not channeling "Float On." That's fitting given how Ben Gibbard's got five Cure covers in his live repertoire. In fact I can't remember ever seeing the guy perform without hearing some other band's song in the set. So before we gear up to collectively prematurely evaluate Codes, here's a listen back at Ben in all his incarnations (DCFC, Postal Service, solo, with Zooey, etc) covering dozens of classics and Avril Lavigne. They're arranged below worst to best, based on a scientific formula of how cool they are. Could Death Cab be indie rock's best wedding band? Tell us your favorite...
"The Star-Spangled Banner"
"I'll Never Find Another You" [w/ Zooey Deschanel] (The Seekers)
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"26 Is Too Soon" (Kind Of Like Spitting)
"I Want It That Way" (Backstreet Boys)
"Sick Of Myself" (Matthew Sweet)
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"I Hate Myself For Loving You" (Joan Jett)
"Rocking Chair" (The Band)
"Sweet And Tender Hooligan" (The Smiths)
"Earth Angel" (The Penguins)
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"Fortunate Song" [w/ Sean Nelson] (Creedence Clearwater Revivial)
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"Hungry Like The Wolf" snippet (Duran Duran)
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"Timeless Melody" [w/ Pearl Jam] (The La's)
"Why I Cry" [w/ Daniel Handler] (Magnetic Fields)
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"Dream Scream" (Daniel Johnston)
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"Silver Lining" (Rilo Kiley)
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"Girl You Want" (Devo)
"It'll Be A Breeze" (The Long Winters)
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"You're Ex-Lover Is Dead" (Stars)
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"Dream" [w/ Zooey Deschanel] (The Everly Brothers)
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"After Hours" (The Velvet Underground)
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"Head Over Heels" (Tears For Fears)
"Choir Vandals" (American Analog Set)
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"Little Boxes" (Malvina Reynolds)
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"Cuddly Toy" [w/ Zooey Deschanel] (Harry Nilsson)
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"To Sing For You" (Donovan)
"Indian Summer" (Beat Happening)
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"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (Cyndi Lauper)
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"Harvest Moon" (Neil Young)
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"All Is Full Of Love" (Björk)
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"St. Swithin's Day" (Billy Bragg)
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"Heaven" (Psychedelic Furs)
"I Wanna Be Adored" (Stone Roses)
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"You Woke Up My Neighbourhood" (Billy Bragg)
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"Go Your Own Way" [w/ The Decemberists -- starts 1m in] (Fleetwood Mac)
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"Kicked In" (Superchunk)
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"She Still Thinks I Care" (George Jones)
"Blacking Out The Friction"/"Brand New Love" (Sebadoh)
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"Blacking Out The Friction"/"Say Yes" (Elliott Smith)
"Blacking Out The Friction"/"Atmosphere" (Joy Division)
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"Wait" (Secret Stars)
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"The Saddest Story Ever Told" (Magnetic Fields)
"Palmcorder Yajna" (The Mountain Goats)
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"Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" (The Monkees)
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"Ballerina Out Of Control" (The Ocean Blue)
"Sweeter" (Julie Doiron)
"To Sing For You" (Donovan)
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"Here Comes The Rain Again" (The Eurythmics)
"Bloomed" (Richard Buckner)
"Friday I'm In Love" (The Cure)
"Free Fallin" [w/ Mates Of State] (Tom Petty)
"Complicated" (Avril Lavigne)
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"They Don't Know" (Kirsty MacColl)
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"Handle With Care" [w/ Jenny Lewis, Conor Oberst, M. Ward] (Traveling Wilburys)
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"Thriller" (Michael Jackson)
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"Start Again" (Teenage Fanclub)
"This Charming Man" (The Smiths)
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"All Apologies" (Nirvana)
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"Dear Boy" (Paul McCartney)
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"I Don't Want To Get Over You" (Magnetic Fields)
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"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" (Darlene Love)
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"Train Song" [w/ Feist] (Vashti Bunyan)
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"The Dream Is Over" (John Vanderslice)
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" (Simple Minds)
"All I Need" (Radiohead)
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"Against All Odds" (Phil Collins)
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"Joga" (Björk)
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"Lovesong" (The Cure)
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"World Shut Your Mouth" (Julian Cope)
"God Save The Queen" [w/ Oddfellow Local c.1993] (The Sex Pistols)
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OK, maybe that's not EVERY cover. For completists' sake, here are other songs they've tackled but aren't available on the Internet if you can believe that:
- "Hold On" (Spiritualized)
- "I Hate To See You Cry" (Alan Hull)
- “It Makes No Difference” (The Band)
- "Jumping Someone Else's Train" (The Cure)
- "Close To Me" (The Cure)
- "A Forest (The Cure)
- "Shiver Holds" (The Prom)
- "Sweet Child O' Mine" (Guns N' Roses)
- "The Mess Inside" (The Mountain Goats)
- "What Do You Want Me To Say?" (The Dismemberment Plan)
- "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" (Pet Shop Boys)
- "You Are Invited" (The Dismemberment Plan)
- "Slow Fade" (Teenage Fanclub)
- "Girl From The North Country" (Bob Dylan)
- "Gleemer" (Guided By Voices)
- "Hysteria" (Def Leppard)
- "Blue And Wonder" (Richard Buckner)
- "Grow Old with Me" (John Lennon)
- "Up The Junction" (Squeeze)
- "Suddenly Everything Has Changed" (The Flaming Lips)- "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" (The Smiths)
- "Mandy" (Barry Manilow)
- "Centerfield" (John Fogerty)
If you've got any, including ones I didn't even know about, give a heads up in the comments or shoot me an e-mail. UPDATE: Thanks for all the e-mail links... will update w/ audio below and strikeout the 'requests' in the list above as they as posted.
"Gleemer" (Guided By Voices) > "I Was A Kaleidoscope"
"Hold On" (Spiritualized)
"I Hate To See You Cry" (Alan Hull)
"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" [w/ Chris Walla] (The Smiths)
"Grow Old With Me" (John Lennon)
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"Blue & Wonder" (Richard Buckner)
"Shiver Holds" (The Prom)
Thanks Steven R., Erik D, and Verdi. More TK.
