Transatlanticism went gold, a big accomplishment for a small label album, and was a major critical success, granting Death Cab the attentions of Atlantic. Another big factor in the major label attention was probably the wildly unexpected success of Give Up by The Postal Service, a side project of Ben Gibbard's that overcame the hurdle of not being good to go platinum. Making the leap to a major label is never easy for a beloved indie band, and while the general public loved it – it went platinum and spawned two hit singles – Plans is where the critics turned their backs on Death Cab.
I'm going to take a moment to rave against this ridiculously unfair critical system that seems to apply to indie or alternative bands in particular. It happens to them more often than anybody else, at least. Critics, particularly Pitchfork and those like them, latch on to one particular album by these guys and then set up this impossible standard where one of three things happens – they make another album that's similar, in which case “they're not evolving”; they make another album that's different, in which case “they're not doing what they do best,” it's a “failed experiment,” or “they've betrayed their roots”; they use their success to make the leap to a major label, in which case it doesn't matter what they do, because they're sell-outs and must be shunned. It's an absolutely absurd, self-defeating philosophy and there's absolutely nothing they can do. It's based on coolness factor and not musical substance. This is basically what happened to Death Cab.
Alright, well, enough about that. Let's talk about Plans. So, Death Cab put their increased budget to great use, because, if nothing else, Plans sounds absolutely gorgeous. Chris Walla still produces, and while he was always an excellent producer, he's able to make this album sound like something they probably wouldn't have been able to produce before. The keyboards positively glisten and sparkle and the guitars shimmer and glow. I don't know how else to explain it. It's one of the most beautiful sounding albums I've ever heard.
Now, I don't know if Death Cab already had this material prepared and Chris Walla produced it appropriately or if they realized the potentials of the major label budget and equipment available and created material accordingly, but one way or another, there is a heavy preponderance of low-key ballads on here. Several reviews I've read have compared Plans to Coldplay disparagingly, but that's not really fair – I can see the comparison in style, but Death Cab are much better songwriters than anybody in Coldplay, and the lovely production only accentuates the inherent beauty in the songs themselves. However, I will admit that it can get rather samey, since most of the tracks are rather mellow and thus it can start to drag a bit.
There are also a couple of tracks that seem to rely a bit too much on the production and don't have much in the way of an interesting musical essence. “Different Names for the Same Thing” is hardly terrible, but it's at least a couple of minutes too long, stretching out its coda to make the song 5 minutes when it should be 3. Additionally, the closing “Stable Song” - actually a re-recording of a track they released on an EP three years prior – is remarkably dull, and as many times as I've listened to this album, I couldn't tell you a thing about it other than that. I used to lump “Summer Skin” into this category also, but while it's certainly one of the lesser numbers compared to the great tracks on here, it's still a perfectly fine, reasonably memorable and pretty atmospheric ballad.
It just can't hope to stand up to the big winners here. The opening grand organ line of “Marching Bands of Manhattan” will suck you into the album immediately, and Ben Gibbard's lovely, lilting vocal melody will only cement that. I love the coda, too – it manages to just avoid being repetitive or overlong and instead ends up being quite moving and dynamic, in the tradition of other great Death Cab climaxes like “Bend to Squares” or “Your Bruise.”
“Brothers on a Hotel Bed” - strangely, the first Death Cab song I ever heard – is somewhat strange in that it seems like there's nothing much happening. While it might sound dull on first listen, there's just something about that tiny, glimmering electric piano line and Ben Gibbard's mournful vocal delivery that will work its way under your skin and make it into a real tearjerker. “Someday You Will Be Loved” is another great, affecting ballad, as is the much maligned hit single, the acoustic suicide song “I Will Follow You into the Dark.”
There are a couple of more energetic tracks. The other big hit single, and probably their most recognized song, “Soul Meets Body,” is just a great pop song, bursting from the seams with vocal hooks and mesmerizing instrumental textures. “Crooked Teeth” - the closest thing to a real rock song on here - has a nice, chugging bass riff and a great chorus, and “Your Heart Is an Empty Room” features heavenly vocal harmonies and one of the most beautiful slide guitar tones I've ever heard.
My absolute favorite is the devastating ballad that is “What Sarah Said.” It's about the horror and frustration of sitting in a waiting room at a hospital, knowing that you're waiting for a loved one to die, and for once, I think even the lyrics are excellent. The rolling, almost funereal piano line sets the mood immediately, and Ben's vocal delivery juxtaposed with that is heartbreaking. By the time we get to the coda, with Ben Gibbard's ethereal “Who's gonna watch youuuuu diiiiie?” floating through the speakers over some sparkling guitar lines, there's a good chance I'm in tears. If it's not the best song they ever did, it's second only to “Transatlanticism.”
Plans is responsible for some of the most emotional, catchy, and beautiful tracks in the Death Cab library. Why it has their lowest score on Metacritic, I'll never truly understand. However, I will admit that it's not their best album, due to a couple of filler tracks and the fact that, again, it does start to really wear down on you when taken all at once. Unlike their first two albums, which are also quite languid, this album isn't quite as musically unique and interesting to sort of ease the effect of that. As much as I do love Plans and its sound, I will admit that it's a lot less unique than their early material – they just do this type of piano-based pop thing much better than, say, The Fray or Coldplay. It's still going to get a 13 because the songs are, by and large, just so great, but a low one, bordering on a 12. It's an excellent, easy to enjoy album, though, and I highly recommend it.
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