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Death Cab for Cutie Plans Release Date: 08/30/05 Score: 6.0 out of 10.0 |
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Death Cab for Cutie made a name for themselves with their debut LP in 1999, Something About Airplanes, and gained plenty of deserving attention with elitist "scenesters" everywhere. Talents unfolded the following year with We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes with frontman, Ben Gibbard's soothing tenor vocals and keyboardist/guitarist, Christopher Walla's deft production techniques. Death Cab continued to shine with 2003's Transatlanticism, a heartfelt album of adolescent love and disjunction, a Blood on the Tracks for today's generation of hopeless romantics.
As the loveable loser Seth Cohen so aptly stated during an episode of the drama-ridden (might I add, highly entertaining) episode of The O.C., "Don't dis the Death Cab;" a snippet of a comical argument with Summer, his all-engrossing love interest, while one of said band's songs came on the radio. Flawless marketing strategies? Or perhaps just some producers/writers with good music taste? Regardless, media instances like this one have triggered the uproar and popularity of indie-rockers on the brink of success such as the Killers, Modest Mouse, and the Walkmen, as well as Bellingham, Washington's indie-pop quartet - Death Cab for Cutie.
While this is not all about the sagas of a Calfifornia, seaside dream lifestyle, one cannot mention the mainstream success that has stricken a band like Death Cab, as well as their recent move from the little league Barsuk record label to the majors and Atlantic Records without it. With a sizable change like this, bands can often be labeled with the cruel and culpable term "sell-out" from original fans and followers. Baloney. Hogwash. Rubbish, I tell ya. Besides the exposure, (which is a good thing!) the only effect it has is added pressure to turn out the goods (another bonus). Sadly, I wish I could say the latter holds true with Death Cab for Cutie's latest, Plans.
We pick up where Transatlanticism left us dangling: at the crossroads of adoration and estrangement. With Plans, the band shows some signs of maturation with its lyrical theme of love. It's not so much about the youthful exuberance and lighthearted longing, but rather the melancholic liaison between love and death. "I Will Follow You into the Dark" consists of just Ben and his acoustic, softly crooning, "it's nothing to worry about, 'cause we'll hold each other soon in the blackest of rooms." The somberness continues with "What Sarah Said" as he lets out a painful "love is watching someone die." With the bulk of the tracks ballads like these, there's a clear mood that is being conveyed and I'm not sure it's sitting well with me.
To break the monotony there are, however, some upbeat numbers like the opener "Marching Bands of Manhattan," led by Gibbard's infectious vocals and simple guitar strums. "Soul Meets Body," the apparent single, is catchy and has a good sing-a-long chorus which I'm sure will draw the likes of new fans, but there's still something missing as a whole. Plans has the reflective, earnestness felt on parts of Transatlanticism, but minus a lot of the quirky complacency of the more lively tunes. There is a sense of inconsistency and filler between the high points. Some of the lyrics and musical choices, especially towards the closing half of the album, seem a bit too contrived and forced; the bumbling chorus and strange bass line of "Crooked Teeth," for example. In addition, the band loses their crucial guitar pieces on songs like "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" and adds some synth beats in lieu of them, giving more of a Postal Service result. I can't blame them due to the large success of Gibbard's side project; and it's not a complaint per se, but it seems a little awkward at times.
Plans lacks experimentation and a climax, leaving the feeling of unfinished business. You wait, you wait, you're waiting for the pay-off and it never really delivers; nothing over-the-top at least. Death Cab for Cutie are at another crossroads, and time will tell whether they continue on in their protected niche along the path that many bands take. I won't mention any names (*cough* Coldplay *cough*). Pardon me, ahem, I had something in my throat just now. Anyways, all in all there is room for growth, as there always is. The last line of the last track, "Stable Song," is very striking. "With age it just gets much worse but I won't mind." Let's hope that's not true.
-Marissa Logue
August 31, 2005
