SONG OF THE DAY
“Soul Meets Body” by Death Cab For Cutie (Plans, Atlantic Records, 2005). Written by Ben Gibbard.
INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)
– Death Cab for Cutie, a Washington-based indie rock band, released the 2005 album Plans, as their first collaboration with Atlantic Records.
– It is the group’s highest charting single in the United States.
– The song peaked at #5 on the U.S. Modern Rock Track chart.
– In response to an internet leak of the song before its release, Chris Walla stated, “I love it. The more anarchy we can give to the record industry, the better.”
– “Soul Meets Body” was described as having a “haunting, slow drawl” by Caitlin Petrakovitz of The Daily Aztec, whilst Elisa Bray of The Independent said that the song is “one of their best melodies” and said the lyrics, “a melody softly soaring through my atmosphere”, sums up the effect of the song on its listener. Tom Woods of MusicOMH, said features such as “jangling acoustic guitar strumming throughout, and a wonderfully upbeat rhythm accompanying lyrics of loss and wonderment” gave the song a “distinct” resemblance to REM’s song, “Losing My Religion”. Virgin Media, however, said the song was “slightly academic indie with a hint of Idlewild and Snow Patrol about it”. Drowned in Sound writer, Mike Diver, stated that “Soul Meets Body” has “tender, lovelorn lyrics that anyone over the age of ten can relate to coupled with the kind of shimmering indie-pop that a thousand imitators have failed to fully master […] It says both everything to the listener and a whole lot of nothing at all, its perception entirely dependent on the type of ear bending its way.” Diver finished the review by describing the song as being “sourced from a central vein yielding little else of value”, an element that “leaves a bitter aftertaste that lingers long after the sound of silence settles.”