Album of the Day

“I really like the idea of a plan not being seen as having definite outcomes, but more like little wishes,” noted Death Cab For Cutie mastermind Ben Gibbard of the inspiration for PLANS. The group's major label debut, the 2005 collection picks up where indie rock breakthrough TRANSATLANTICISM left off, with considerably more polish to its production (even though it was recorded at a farmhouse studio in rural Massachusetts). The wry, sophisticated sensibility one would expect of a group named after a Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band song can be heard throughout, accompanied by the appealing melodies that helped put “Soul Meets Body” and “Crooked Teeth” onto Billboard's Alternative chart and made “I Will Follow You into the Dark” a Grammy nominee, The album as a whole earned a Grammy nomination as well, and the platinum-certified PLANS remains Death Cab's top seller.