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For your consideration: a wildly successful indie rock band with a legion of followers on an equally successful, highly credible independent label makes the jump to major-label powerhouse Atlantic, leading to much chagrin and speculation among its fans as they awaited with bated breath for what would happen to the group. The result was For Your Own Special Sweetheart, inarguably the most polished and fully realized album of Dischord alumnus Jawbox's career. Fast forward ten years and you find Barsuk's Death Cab for Cutie in the same position, making the same move. A new label, a larger crowd (thanks to their repeated appearances on The OC), and a side project of Ben Gibbard (Postal Service) that very well overshadowed the success of his main project. All of the moves were perfectly aligned to take the little band that could into the rock stratosphere. But the difference between Jawbox and Death Cab for Cutie was that For Your Own Special Sweetheart went on to be the finest release of Jawbox's canon. Plans definitely comes close to that mark, but falls slightly short. In comparison to the dry, raw production of Transatlanticism, Plans is warm and polished, the kind of album expected from a band obsessed with the sound of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. Chris Walla does an amazing job bringing the group's sound in a different direction than before without compromising too many of the things that made the group sound great to begin with. Thematically, Plans is the Death Cab for Cutie suitable for graduate students, world-weary and wiser from their experiences, realizing they can no longer be love-starved 20-somethings without a clue yet hopelessly cursed to face the same issues. And there's merit to be had in acknowledging that maturity, for even blink-182 figured out their age and released their "serious" album. Gibbard's wispy, poetic lyrics (which could easily have been stolen from Aimee Mann's dressing room while she wasn't looking) still remain an artery from which the rest of the band beats and are some of his finest ever, but this time around the band aligns itself more with a series of emotional murmurs rather than a heart attack. The album winds its way from one ballad to the next, with brief stopovers at moderately up-tempo numbers to help break things up a bit. And it's this sense of resignation that either makes or breaks the album, depending on which Death Cab for Cutie is your favorite: the melancholic, hopeless romantic or the one who wears its heart on its sleeve with unbridled energy and passion. If Transatlanticism was Gibbard's Pet Sounds and Postal Service was SMiLE, then this is definitely Wild Honey, loved by adoring new fans and those who enjoy the ballads. But those hoping for a bit more -- for the bar to be raised higher -- might find this a mildly predictable exercise in Gibbard exorcising the demons of Phil Collins that haunt him. Plans is both a destination and a transitional journey for the group, one that sees the fulfillment of years of toiling away to develop their ideas and sound. But it's with the completion of those ideas that band is faced with a new set of crossroads and challenges to tread upon: to stay the course and suffer stagnation or try something bold and daringly new with their future. Which road they'll take will make all the difference. ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide
more albums by this artist
See all-
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- Narrow Stairs
- Released 2008
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- Transatlanticism
- Released 2003
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- You Can Play These Songs With Chords
- Released 2002
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- We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes
- Released 2000
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listener reviews
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Good.
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- By rock and roll i
- 11/16/2008 04:50:38
- It isn't perfect, but it is good. Some songs are catchy and some are just relaxing. For me, this album was really different because it isn't something I'd normally listen to. But I gave it a shot, and I like it! It's indie pop/rock/piano...it's undescribable. Some stand-out tracks are Matching Bands of Manhattan, Sould Meets Body, Crooked Teeth, and Your Heart Is An Empty Room.
- 3 out of 3 people
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LOVE!LOVE!LOVE!
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- By MusiqDeity
- 10/21/2008 23:24:53
- this is probably my fav. album ever by them! i play this when i'm sewing, wheni just want to clear my head, or just a detour from my usually screaming/hardcore/metal/punk stuff
- 1 out of 1 people
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Great!
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- By Steven0629
- 9/16/2008 17:39:03
- the Plans is the best album that I've ever heard!
- 1 out of 1 people
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Gotta Love it!!!!!
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- By ripperzane
- 8/3/2008 18:18:37
- One of my all time fav't bands.<br/>Love the plans CD, and i really dig teh new album as well :)<br/>That is all!
- 1 out of 1 people
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I love it.
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- By Jaded Nice Guy
- 6/5/2008 13:39:55
- While many hardcore Death Cab for Cutiefans are all about Transatlanticism I must defy the trend by saying Plans has to be my favourite Death Cab album. I love this somewhat polished sound that they brought to this album. It is neither musically nor lyrically lacking in my opinion. <br/><br/>If you can find anything like this album please let me know.<br/><br/>P.S. Transatlanticism was awesome too.
- 2 out of 2 people
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top listeners
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