All-Time Quarterback

The solo project of Death Cab for Cutie's inimitable Ben Gibbard, All-Time Quarterback offers a glimpse at something collected underneath Death Cab's ingratiating, instantly memorable hooks. ATQ fires on a less direct trajectory; Gibbard minces drum machine, minimal guitars, and chintzy keyboards into emotive, contemplative songs under the watch of his signature, purely melodic singing and direction. Female vocals enrich ATQ's debut, and the rich chemistry of both voices is entrancing on a cover of the Magnetic Fields' "Why I Cry." Ultimately, Gibbard sets his own talents apart from those on file in Death Cab, a worthwhile endeavor that solidifies his station as one of Lo-Fi's most significant commodities.