DEATH Cab For Cutie are the classic example of a band that haven’t particularly travelled well – and what a shame that is.

The Washington State-based group have flown largely under the radar in the United Kingdom, in sharp contrast to their home country where their progress – like their music, slow burning – culminated in Billboard’s number one album Narrow Stairs. Codes And Keys continues their excellent form.

It sounds like a Neil Young album, when the man was in his prime. That’s largely due to singer Ben Gibbard’s atmospheric vocals but it is more than that. Subtle, it washes over rather than attacks and its clever use of string arrangements, particularly in the title track, disarms any scepticism lingering of moody band comparisons with the likes of the lightweight Coldplay and Snow Patrol.

It’s not flashy but it is made up of beautiful songs and, without a high profile image or fancy production to fall back on, this is, happily, how Death Cab For Cutie are judged.