Exciting stuff! The band recorded versions of six songs, including Cath and Talking Bird, and you can download them here:

http://www.daytrotter.com/article/1253/death-cab-for-cutie

It's nice to hear these instead of the concert versions... Talking Bird is gorgeous.

Nice, Thanks
Cath is kinda weird, but cool

yeah thanks for the link.

sweet, they sound awesome...thanks!

I can't believe that cath was not the first single! Its really weird....sounds like all american rejects. I am hoping the album version is more clean, the distortion on this recording makes the guitars sound like shit. Plus gibbard is really winded. To be really honest i don't like it very much. It seems too pushed and the band seems like they are rushing it.

i dig it a lot. i don't think it sounds anything like all american rejects, though i'll admit i've only heard their songs on the radio. anyways, cath sounds excellent and will probably sound even better on the studio version. the chorus is great. "everybody will ask what became of you..."

Cool, I've been holding off on listening to those youtube concert videos till some better quality stuff came out, thanks (:

holy crap... the start of cath sounds exactly like the clip that played on the start of NPR's spring preview on all songs considered.... its a good song... this is an exceptionally weird way to arrange this song... but it sounds good... it has a new pace with the electric guitars, seems like their ripping through it until it gets a little quieter... time to listen again

yeah "cath" has been on repeat since i downloaded it. "talking bird" is phenomenal, but i'm a fan of the more upbeat "cath." the quality is fine. i love what daytrotter does, but you just can't expect the recording to be anything special.

as it stands, i like every song that i've heard from this album so far, which is more than i can say for a lot of other recent releases. unless radiohead miraculously releases another album, narrow stairs is likely to be my favorite of 08.

Awesome. I don't think Gibbard sounded winded at all in Cath.

Much prefer the acoustic Cath... don't think the style suits the song. Love talking bird though

This is cool, but something just doesn't sound right about these recordings. I don't know... Not mixed properly, perhaps.

I'd love to hear the ukulele version of Talking Bird, though.

Hmm, I think Cath would sound fine with this style if 1) The recording wasn't so messy, and 2) The drums weren't so flashy. I think it'd sound better with a simpler beat. Talking Bird sounds fine, I didn't really like it much from the live recordings and this recording didn't change my opinion of it. (The lyrics are really good though)

Yeah the drums are way overzealous in Cath. It actually takes over the song a bit