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Death Cab For CutiePlans Atlantic/Warner The fifth album from Death Cab For Cutie, 'Plans' is also their first on a major label, after a series of releases on Barsuk. Although this batch of songs have the sheen that a major label budget can afford, there has been no tarnishing of the quality of Ben Gibbard's songcraft. Guitarist Chris Walla has again taken the producer's chair, and in understated fashion he's helped to reshape the Death Cab sound into something different enough to be a progression without alienating any fans along the way. 'Plans' maintains a feeling of grandeur throughout, however this time the opener (Marching Bands Of Manhattan) doesn't explode with bombast like its predecessor 'Transatlanticism' did with The New Year. Neither is there the grinding, pulsing pop like Blacking Out The Friction on 'The Photo Album': the closest we get is the warm jangle of Crooked Teeth. As always, the masterful phrasing by Gibbard extends to the whole band. Overall, 'Plans' has more of a consistent feel throughout it compared to previous albums. Tracks like Different Names For The Same Thing also display incredible depth. This time, Gibbard has turned his effortless lyricism to ideas of fatalism and love. The opening song ends with the idea that "your love is gonna drown". The album could have very well been bookended with the pivotal line from What Sarah Said, "love is watching someone die" (which, according to Gibbard, turned out to be the basis for the whole album). Instead, 'Plans' peters out with the first non-Gibbard original recorded by the band, Chris Walla's Brothers On A Hotel Bed, and a reinterpretation of the song Stability from the previously released 'Stability' EP. They're good songs, mind, I just don't think they should have been placed at the end. As an album, though, 'Plans' betters its predecessor. This is one of the most complete releases of the year.  |
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