“Brothers on a Hotel Bed” by Death Cab for Cutie, Sunday, December 19, 2021
Just 21 miles south of the Canadian border is Bellingham, Washington, the town where Ben Gibbard formed the band Death Cab for Cutie. The band became an indie rock legend as their success grew. Bellingham being north of Seattle, Gibbard contributed to a vibrant indie scene. For a short time, he played bass in Pedro the Lion, and musicians in Seattle often name-drop the Death Cab founder when talking about the development of the Seattle sound. The platinum-selling Plans put Death Cab for Cutie on the map, with the single "I'll Follow You Into the Dark" being their most recognizable song in the band's career.
WITH YOUR ARMS STRETCHED OUT TRYING TO TAKE FLIGHT. Listening to Plans is great all year, and it may be a year for your existential crisis. The love songs on the album are often tinged with something else: death, getting older, or in this case, a loss of passion, maybe apathy. When Jonah Bayer called the album “cinematic” in his Alternative Press review, he was probably referring to how all the songs on the album capture a scene in life. At the beginning of the album, the songs are lighter, “fun and games” side— with an indie, art film spin. But by the end of the album, songs like “What Sarah Said” take on mature themes of death and loss. “Brothers on a Hotel Bed” is a comparison between a love that has lost its spark. But in this simile, there is a deeper love between the couple. The love may no longer be physical, in fact the comparison is to something so non-sexual that mentioning sex seems creepy and revolting. But the lovers weren’t always this repulsed by the idea. The song looks back at the couple’s younger days, if the song is literal, or at the very least, the early phases of their relationship. The speaker talks about a “youthful boy” beneath wrinkle. The song talks about adventure “on the back of a motorbike.” How did lack of desire lead to apathy?
NO LONGER EASY ON THE EYES. I remember reading somewhere, and I hope to find the article to cite, that after a certain amount of time, a surprisingly short amount of time if I recall correctly, romantic love turns into a familiar kind of love. The article made claims that, on a chemical level, our brains couldn’t tell the difference between a romantic or partner and a close family member. I think the article mentions an aunt. Certainly there would be certain dopamine-releasing activities that would look chemically different, such as when your aunt makes that chocolate that your weird uncle jokes is “orgasmic.” I think the article is talking about the overall experience with a close loved one. After all, it’s only a very few people who have seen you with matted hair, eating cereal. Somewhere between the first weekend trip as a couple and the introduction to sweatpants in the relationship, the passion usually starts to fade. That’s why relationship experts recommend being very intentional with relationships as they transition into being less sexual, prioritizing each other’s needs.
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