Ben Gibbard: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

by STEPHEN THOMPSON Ben Gibbard has spent so much time at the head of various bands Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service, AllTime Quarterback that it s easy to forget how well his sweetly brainy songs work in a solo acoustic setting. His melodies are sturdy enough to withstand skeletal arrangements, and though his persona is unassuming by nature, he remains a charismatic and charming live performer. Gibbard just released a solo album, Former Lives, which he s said is a repository for material that didn t work as Death Cab for Cutie songs; from that record, only Teardrop Windows pops up in his Tiny Desk Concert. For the rest, he draws from Death Cab s most recent album ( St. Peter s Cathedral, from Codes and Keys) and, of all places, last year s Arthur soundtrack ( When the Sun Goes Down on Your Street ). In all, Gibbard s set makes a fine choice as the 250th Tiny Desk Concert we ve published since the series was born nearly five years ago: For all the big, elaborate setups we ve entertained in