MixedContent

I love articulate, thoughtful rockstars…

From the Death Cab For Cutie Journal:

Our record is done and will be out soon, and I suspect many of you will be hearing it before that happens. I, for one, am in support of that, because it’s at that moment that any document is made real. Any book or record or journal or photograph is only a diary entry until it becomes part of the public record. The leak and subsequent radio play of “Soul Meets Body” means that it’s finished – no more mix commentary or mastering tweaks. And it’s thrilling, that feeling, because the listener is the most vital part of any recording. It’s just a file on a server somewhere, or another CD-R coaster, when no one pays attention.

So, how is Death Cab For Cuties new album ‘Plans’?

It sounds quite different then their past albums, and while this is not necessarily a bad thing, this release doesn’t immediately grab me the way Transatlanticism did, for example. The guitar of the past is replaced by acoustic piano on many tracks, and at times this album veers dangerously close to AC territory. But there are great moments (such as the acoustic nugget “I will follow you into the dark”), and I have a feeling that ‘Plans’ might grow on me after a few more listens.