"You may tire of me as our December sun is setting," poses Death Cab for Cutie lyricist and front man Ben Gibbard, "because I'm not who I used to be." These lines open the poignant track "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" from the acclaimed indie-rock band's latest and first major label release, Plans. The album, the band's fifth, represents its evolution toward a more retrospective, pensive sound.
Markedly more mature and nostalgic than the group's past albums, Plans explores the passage of time, human relationships, love, and loss. The melancholic attitude present in past albums such as Transatlanticism and The Photo Album is replaced with a calmer, hopeful, and more thoughtful set of songs.
Plans adopts a more transcendental air than presented in Death Cab's past recordings, exploring in depth the existence of afterlife. Their lyrics suggest that Gibbard has taken a step back from the turmoil he once wrote about to approach life in a more contemplative, spiritual manner. In "Where Soul Meets Body," he writes, "And I do believe it's true that there are roads left in both of our shoes / But if the silence takes you then I hope it takes me too / So Brown Eyes I'll hold you near 'cause you're the only song I want to hear / A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere / Where soul meets body."
One of the album's best and most poignant tracks, "I Will Follow You into the Dark," rejects common perceptions of heaven and hell in favor of a view regarding love and companionship as central to the afterlife: "No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white / Just our hands clasped so tight / Waiting for the hint of a spark / If heaven and hell decide / That they both are satisfied / Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs / If there's no one beside you / When your soul embarks / Then I'll follow you into the dark."
To what can we accredit this fascinating evolution? Gibbard, whose electro-pop side project, The Postal Service, has sold nearly as many albums as Death Cab itself, told the New York Daily News that his lyrical growth proceeded from "reach[ing] an age where that feeling of invincibility is gone and you end up being an adult in a more conventional sense."
Just as Death Cab has taken mature strides in their lyrical subject matter, its sound has progressed as a reflection of their changing mood. They have maintained their signature synthesized sound, but Plans features a stronger emphasis on vocals and piano than past albums. Though the band has faced major criticism after their switch from independent label Barsuk to the more mainstream Atlantic label and the more polished sound that accompanied that transition, their changing sound correlates to the growth and evolution of their lyrics. Despite its maturation, Death Cab has maintained their powerful command on romance that they have always expressed in a uniquely personal, real, and meaningful way.
Not surprisingly, a wave of dissent has surfaced among independent music fans as the band's popularity has recently soared, rendering them, by default, the "go-to" indie-rock band. Fans whine that Death Cab has lost its edge, and to the horror of the oft-pretentious world of indie music, Death Cab was featured on Fox's "The O.C." on more than one occasion. Of course, listening to Plans' moving "I Will Follow You Into The Dark," it isn't hard to envision it playing behind an especially pivotal Seth/Summer moment. But is that really a bad thing?
A worldlier, wiser Death Cab for Cutie presents itself to the world in this exceptional album. Though the band's broadened appeal may make them less appealing to some, their sound remains unique and their lyrics continue to be their forte. Gibbard's strikingly simple yet moving songwriting accentuates his powerful vocal presence. Though the band has drifted further into the mainstream, it certainly hasn't lost its edge.