iSound

"Transatlanticism" is a made-up word. At least, Death Cab for Cutie singer-guitarist Ben Gibbard thought so when he penned the song of the same name. He's since stumbled across evidence indicating otherwise. Whether this particular conglomeration of vowels and consonants merits inclusion in the dictionary is an argument better left to etymologists than musicians. Suffice to say, when Ben coined it, "Transatlanticism" was meant to relate to distances so vast and daunting - "such as a body of water creates between people" - that they seem impossible to breach. Negotiating spaces and distances - be they emotional, geographic, or chronologic - is a recurring theme throughout Transatlanticism, the fourth full-length (excluding 2002's reissue/archival release You Can Play These Songs With Chords +10) from the celebrated Seattle rock quartet. And this theme is not just a lyrical conceit, but also characterizes the band's entire creative process. Carefully ma...