i really think the last two songs could swing either way, and i think ben meant for that.

here are some reasons why i think its what TDD said

in scientist studies he repeats "this is my last defense" and "this is your first defense". this creates a picture of him standing over her with the gun in his hand, and she is begging him not to do it, telling him she even invited him to her wedding, saying that they can still be friends (her first defense), but he knows that "[he] may have got an invitation, but [he] wasn't invited" and he feels he has no choice and it is his only defense and "last defense".
also he says "we'll leave our sins within the carpet twine" hinting that he is going to kill both of them leaving his sin of murder and her sin of cheating on him (see below), leaving their bodies to "dissolve the chemicals".


ok about the rest of the album, i think that their relationship is falling apart in "the employment pages", they are arguing a lot but still he wants to keep the relationship, hoping it will eventually get better.
in "for what reason" he finds out that she has been cheating on him. he secretly hopes that their relationship will fall apart (I hope that he keeps you up for weeks)
"Of phrases like "I thought you knew"" means that her excuse is that she thought he knew about them.
"In the end, I win every time as ink remains...
...Tracing the plot finds
skin touching skin
absence follows."
finally they come back together and have sex one last time, before she is gone from his life.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Tomatoes&RadioWires,

i only wish my attention span was even half long enough to listen to an album top to bottom. this makes me sad.

i guess it could be murder...maybe i just don't like to think of it that way. that's so fucking tragic! i mean i just don't see that coming from ben but it's interesting to think of it that way.

quote:

Originally posted by fadedmagic:
I can definitely see how the sound of the song, especially the long high pitched sound at the end, could be perceived to be depicting some kind of violent finish, but I really don't think I can buy into that.

I personally think the sound of the music has just as much to do with it as the lyrics, and whenever I here those lyrics laced with the more emotional and harder sound at the end of SS, coupled with the loud high pitched noise at the end, I just think violence.

I'm so glad my time was well spent writing that up. It's fun to see a lot of different opinions on the matter.

quote:

Originally posted by fadedmagic:
i guess it could be murder...maybe i just don't like to think of it that way. that's so fucking tragic! i mean i just don't see that coming from ben but it's interesting to think of it that way.

Agreed......word for word.

quote:

Originally posted by TDDx8:

quote:

Originally posted by fadedmagic:
I can definitely see how the sound of the song, especially the long high pitched sound at the end, could be perceived to be depicting some kind of violent finish, but I really don't think I can buy into that.

I personally think the sound of the music has just as much to do with it as the lyrics, and whenever I here those lyrics laced with the more emotional and harder sound at the end of SS, coupled with the loud high pitched noise at the end, I just think violence.

I'm so glad my time was well spent writing that up. It's fun to see a lot of different opinions on the matter.

yeh that is what i was thinking. just look at all other death cab albums, they all end peacefully. (plans - stable song/trans - lack of color/photo - debate exposes doubt/SAP - line of best fit/chords - army corps of architects)
this is perhaps the only album that ends in a..well, bang.

and they way the guitar is cut off so suddenly also helps with the abrupt ending of the story: murder and suicide = the end.

I agree with this interpretation - but keep in mind that even within the context of a conceptual vision, these songs can have multiple varied meanings.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Disaster:
I agree with this interpretation - but keep in mind that even within the context of a conceptual vision, these songs can have multiple varied meanings.

Of course. I was never saying this is the only way to interpret the album (not that you were accusing me or anything), I was just saying my opinion and I was curious of others. I'd love to see someone type up what I did showing a different interpretation. I'm all about trying to find a deeper meaning in artwork and I love looking at things from all angles.

ummmm you said something about artwork which got me thinking:
why is the album called "we have the facts and were voting yes" and what does the album artwork mean?

this whole concept album idea, is making me do two things:
1) Appreciate WHTF twice as much
2)Remember how much of a genius Ben is

quote:

Originally posted by Title Track:
ummmm you said something about artwork which got me thinking:
why is the album called "we have the facts and were voting yes" and what does the album artwork mean?

yeah, i've wondered that too.
i had a dream once that death cab had their own bank and the logo was the two running guys. i put my money in that bank and the band stole it.

maybe, if he really kills her, the facts are all the story and hes decided Yes, he's going to kill her. maybe...
and they just thought the art was cool?

Seriously I alone have said this like 20 times.

No Joy in Mudville is NOOOOTTTTTT about murder.

okay, after much research i camp up with the following conclusion about the album name.

observation a: according to wikipedia, title track was supposed to be originally named we have the facts and we're voting yes. in title track he says "talking how the group had begun to splinter." now, here starts the metaphor.

a "splinter group" as defined by dictionary.com is " a small organization that becomes separated from or acts apart from an original larger group or a number of other small groups, with which it would normally be united, as because of disagreement."

ben says "talking how the group had begun to splinter." splinter groups are usually talked about in politics, so thats where the idea of "we have the facts and we're voting yes" comes from. politics. now, but why would he talk about politics when he's supposed to be talking about his relationship with a girl? well the splinter group is a metaphor for his relationship with her: they break up because of a disagreement. also the fact that he is saying "talking how the group had began to splinter" in the first song is foreshadowing his break-up with her.

still keeping in mind that this song was supposed to be called we have the facts... perhaps he is talking about how he has the facts about their dispute, and he/she is 'voting' to break up, to splinter.

essentially, he us comparing their relationship with a political organization, that splintered.

and heres my interpretation on the artwork, its a pretty big stretch, but bear with me.

dang man.... if all these metaphorical adventures of greatness are completely true then i stand by the Gibbard is a genius idea.

well i would support the idea even more so than i do right now