Death Cab For Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie make even the most grandiose guitar-pop epic sound as intimate as a raw bedroom recording.

And that’s essentially where the 21st century’s definitive indie band got started: In 1997, under the name Death Cab for Cutie—taken from a Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band song that appeared in The Beatles’ film Magical Mystery Tour—Western Washington University student Ben Gibbard recorded the lo-fi cassette You Can Play These Songs With Chords in his Bellingham, Washington, basement.

He eventually recruited guitarist Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer, and drummer Nathan Good to make some waves locally.