Issue Date: April 30, 2006

Music Videos

Truly independent band

Recent success hasn't quieted Death Cab for Cutie's unique point of view.

By Frappa Stout

Lots of bands are labeled "indie," but Death Cab for Cutie takes it literally. They have never depended on radio or MTV to build a following. Instead, for years, the Bellingham, Wash., quartet -- Ben Gibbard, Nick Harmer, Chris Walla and Jason McGerr -- jammed their instruments into a beat-up van and toured the country, playing any low-rent venue that would let them through the door.

"For us, it comes down to word of mouth and slogging it out, and being a good live band," says frontman Gibbard, whose soulful songs have become the soundtracks for painful breakups.

When Death Cab's first major-label album, "Plans," debuted at No. 4 last year and drew a Grammy nod, many feared the band would fall into mainstream predictability. Not them. For the visual component to "Plans," the guys wanted more than the boilerplate two music videos. So they hired up-and-coming directors to interpret each song, then unveiled the arty videos on their website (deathcabforcutie.com) beginning in January.

As music videos fade from TV programming, Death Cab, like many artists, has had to find new ways to connect with fans. Bands are discovering that cyberspace is more than a record store for the younger generation. It's where they go to hang out and watch the latest videos whenever they like. "The Internet is a huge factor," says Charles Aaron, music editor at "Spin" magazine. "Kids talk about music a lot online, and it's easier to find out about things and share things. When it's something like Death Cab, which is kind of emotional and private-sounding, I think that sense of a community online that relates to the music is important."

Gibbard says he watches videos almost exclusively online. "With the Internet," he says, "any band can make videos and put them where people will actually see them. We don't have to get down on our knees in front of MTV and beg for a forum."

Death Cab's video project, "Directions," came out on DVD earlier this month. Made on a shoestring budget, it shows off a range of visual styles, from stop-motion animation ("Someday You Will Be Loved") to a graphic novel ("Your Heart Is an Empty Room").

The video for Summer Skin, created by Lightborne, a Cincinnati design and production studio, shows children as corporate office drones, conducting meetings and shuffling papers at their desks. A slide presentation above their heads reads: "One more hour you'll never get back."

The band is noticeably absent from the videos. "It was never about making a profit or marketing anything," says Harmer, who, with friend and video director Aaron Stewart-Ahn, hatched the idea for the project. "It was about creating a dialogue between artists."

That's fitting for a group whose music feels like an intimate conversation. Formed in 1997, Death Cab (named for an obscure 1960s song by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band) released four albums before 2003's "Transatlanticism" landed them a live performance on "The O.C." And now, the guys are alums of "Saturday Night Live." But not to worry: They still have an indie mind-set. "If the success we are having is rooted in TV shows or pop phenomena," Gibbard says, "at least I feel there's a core group of people who will be there, regardless."

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Alternative outlets for music videos

Internet: Nowadays, you can flip open the laptop and watch free streaming videos by artists at their personal websites (like KellyClarksonweb.com and theallamericanrejects.com) or music outlets like MTV Overdrive and Yahoo! Music. Or, you can pay to download them for keeps to your computer or MP3 player from iTunes or, starting this summer, from AOL Music.

MP3: Apple's iPod isn't the only way to see your favorite band in the palm of your hand. Other companies, like Creative Labs and iRiver, make players that can store and play videos (like the Creative Zen Vision). Some take longer to download, as files are converted to MP3s.

Sony PSP: Game publishing giant Electronic Arts embeds videos in some of its video games through a new feature called Pocket Trax. Watch videos like the Bravery's "Unconditional" on the soccer game FIFA 2005.

Cellphones: If you don't mind a small screen, both Verizon and Cingular offer new video services. Now you can rock the latest Yellowcard or Green Day hit on your phone. Just get a Verizon V Cast or Cingular 3G compatible phone,and visit their sites for downloads. Note: The video selection is limited.

-- Carissa Marsh