We're not in The O.C. anymore, kids. Hell, we're barely in the same ZIP code.

For their sixth album and second major-label release, the sensitive Seattlites of Death Cab For Cutie have shifted gears and taken a hard left turn into an artsier neighbourhood.

Supposedly inspired by everything from Jack Kerouac and recent California wildfires to synth-rockers like Can and Brainiac, the daring Narrow Stairs is several steps removed from 2005's Plans. In contrast to that disc's sombre beauty, these 11 strikingly crafted tracks find the band -- singer-guitarist Ben Gibbard, guitarist-producer Chris Walla, drummer Jason McGerr and bassist Nicholas Harmer -- mussing up their poignant, literate indie-pop balladry with plenty of grit: Buzzing guitars, noisy synths, dusty textures and a darker ambience.

How the Seth Cohens of the world react remains to be seen. But whether this risky revamp is hailed as a magnum opus or reviled as an artistic betrayal, one thing is clear: Death Cab aren't just spinning their wheels.

Bixby Canyon Bridge 5:15

Glistening guitar arpeggios, gentle keyboard washes, and Kerouac-inspired lyrics of a Big Sur pilgrimage sung in Gibbard's choirboy tenor. Typical DCFC dream-pop -- until fuzzy noise and thumping drums bust into the mix. The shape of things to come.

I Will Possess Your Heart 8:25

That first song? That was nothing. This smouldering epic opens with a five-minute bass-driven jam -- then turns into a romantic ode by a stalker. "You gotta spend some with me, love," intones Gibbard ominously over ringing piano and guitars. Pretty. And pretty creepy.

No Sunlight 2:40

Lyrics about the gradual death of youthful optimism are buoyed by a chipper surf-rock groove and twanging, jangling guitars. Poppy but unsettling.

Cath ... 3:49

Gibbard flips through the wedding album of an insecure bride's doomed nuptials, while the band constructs a multi-layered cake of tom-toms and slashing guitars.

Talking Bird 3:23

Dark, dour and dirgelike, this claustrophobic portrait of an emotionally caged lover could be a sequel to I Will Possess Your Heart or Cath.

You Can do Better Than Me 1:59

Another self-flagellating descent to the depths of low self-esteem -- set to a jaunty orch-pop backdrop borrowed from Brian Wilson.

Grapevine Fires 4:08

This slow-burner is fuelled by a softly shuffling beat and a ringing electric piano, topped with lyrics about watching wildfires from a graveyard.

Your New Twin Sized Bed 3:06

Beneath a warm blanket of atmospheric sonics and a lightly bouncy bassline, Gibbard watches a lonely friend downsize his mattress in an acceptance of romantic defeat.

Long Division 3:49

A pumping backbeat, a chugging bassline, and starry guitar notes that coalesce into a noisy squall on the chorus add up to one of the disc's more rocking cuts.

Pity and Fear 4:21

Another sonic adventure -- this time beginning with Indian percussion and spaghetti western guitars, and gradually swelling into a bombastic arena-rocker of near-Zeppish majesty.

The Ice is Getting Thinner 3:45

We dance a bittersweet last waltz to the strains of electric guitars that drip and shimmer like icicles on a spring afternoon.