If you liked the "indie" sound of Airplanes, then I'd keep going in chronological order of albums. Transatlanticism and Plans are my personal favorites but Plans especially is more mainstream. Transatlanticism is a gorgeous album all the way through.

I'll check out Transatlanticism then.

You can skip most of the albums tbh. Here's some of their best songs:
Transatlanticism:
A Lack Of Color
Tine Vessels
Expo 86
Lightness
We Looking Like Giants
Title And Registration
Transatlanticism
We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes:
405
Company Calls
No Joy In Mudville
Plans:
Soul Meets Body
I Will Follow You Into The Dark
Different Names For The Same Thing
The Photo Album:
Movie Script Ending
Blacking Out The Friction
I Was A Kaleidoscope
Coney Island
Narrow Stairs:
Bixby Canyon Bridge
I Will Possess Your Heart
Cath...
Grapevine Fires
The Ice Is Getting Thinner
Assorted:
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Photobooth
This Temporary Life

I like Crooked Teeth and I Will Follow you Into the Dark. All I've heard though. But I think they are good writers lyrically.

Saw them live for the first time in December. I will follow you into the Dark was absolutely mesmerising, just Benjamin with his acoustic guitar on a stool with a blue light. Narrow stairs albumn had just come out I think and there's some great songs on there.

Grapevine Fires is the bets song in my opinion ... I'm guessing it's to do with the Californian fires they had recently. Well worth checking the albumn out, just as good as their previous stuff

I didn't care for Narrow Stairs nearly as much as Transatlanticism or Plans. Grapevine Fires/I Will Possess Your Heart/The Ice Is Getting Thinner were the only really stand-out songs.

Grapevine Fires and Long Division are my fave off of Narrow Stairs right now. I love a handful of songs off of each record. Transanlanticism (sp) is probably the album I can listen to straight through.

They're a great live band too, everything sounds good. Got to see them twice as headliners, and 3 times opening for Pearl Jam in 2004.

big fan of death cab. been a fan for a while.

O just got Narrow Stairs today! I can't wait to give it a good listen! I liked Plans alot, but in my opinion it kinda paled in comparison to Transatlanticism... so I am hoping Narrow Stairs is a return to form of sorts!

I played their latest Album out over the fall. got me through some times of boredom.

They've gone down hill

Goldlion, while i probably don't agree with your opinion... it would be interesting to see why you think the wqy you do... some elaboration on that point, maybe?

To me, their music is just not as great as it use to be.

They're new album was very successful and got more listeners then their previous albums.. Probably because it has a more poppy/mainstream feel?

I don't like that. and I'm sure a lot of their old listeners didn't either.

but hey kudos to them! they're doing great /\/\

I will always enjoy them, even if their sound isn't quite what it used to be. I'm so bummed their Nashville date sold out so quickly!

Narrow Stairs didn't have the appeal that Plans had. They still make great music, its just that there is an over saturation of bands that are just trying to mimic the California-based song lyrics about relationships and whatever else life throws out at you before your 25th birthday, that it their music just doesn't sound so groundbreaking because several are making music nearly identical to DCFC. They did it very well a few years back, they still do it well today, it's just a little bit different now.

Still haven't had the opportunity to hear the new one, but honestly all these people who are saying "not as good as Plans" should be making their comparisons with something like Transatlanticism or the Photo album... I think Plans was great but those two albums are where its at as far as I am concerrned with all things Death Cab...

Death Cab for Cutie - The Open Door EP, has anyone checked this out?
 

Hey guys, Death Cab for Cutie released a new EP pretty recently.
It is called The Open Door EP. I thought it was pretty good and think you should give it a listen if you are a Death Cab fan.
Here is my favorite song from the new EP. It is called Little Bribes.

Death Cab for Cutie myspace as well

Gotta get that... hey I don't understand all the complaints about Narrow Stairs.... I think its light years better than Plans, which was MORE poppy than Narrow Stairs... I find it engaging, full of the longing and yearning and broken hearted messiness that made Transatlanticism great...

plans was a masterpiece. transatlantacism was close. the photo album was damn good and narrow stairs was still pretty good . the new EP was ok overall. i don't understand the complaints about narrow stairs, looking at death cab from an indie perspective, I guess I can understand but both narrow stairs and plans were released by Atlantic which means they aren't indie! they are a bit more mainstream now, but w/e! they haven't gone coldplay on us!


never congratulate a band for becoming more mainstream.

I'm starting to become a fan after hearing Narrow Stairs, I just got Plans and have to say I think its better than Narrow Stairs.

Ben Gibbard is fantastic. Although I prefer The Postal Service to Death Cab... my friends recently saw the in concert and said they were absolutely epic.

I love Death Cab. I Will Possess Your Heart is absolutely phenomenal - in fact, all of Narrow Stairs was amazing.

word! First time I heard IWPYH, I was hooked.
I think Narrow Stairs is a superb album!

^ I know, right? It's such an intense song, the like six-minute intro just building and building, and the stalker-esque lyrics are just great.

yea the lyrics are pretty twisted in an innocent way though...ben has that tone in his voice, he's always so calm it seems.

oh no! they signed with a better label their music sucks now! I think its sweet when a good band becomes more popular, then they make more money. Good stuff.

hello, i just said plans was a masterpiece, that was for Atlantic. the only point i was trying to make was that it is no longer indie and needs to be looked at from a different perspective.

I honestly don't think Death Cab signing to a bigger label means they "sold out" at all.... their nusic is just reaching a broader audience, they`ve matured as songwriters, too... people just need to understand that a band can't always remain that band that only plays their corner bar every week.... some bands want to and need to grow beyond their rabid indie followings... they don't want to isolate them, but reaching an audience is every entertainers goal, right? So why hold back...

IMO plans and Narrow Stairs are amongst Death Cab`s finest albums...

How so? A band changes a label, so their music has to be listened to with a different mindset?

ehhhh, i'm not big fan of narrow stairs. plans is still their best imo.

Narrow Stairs = great album!

I have Something About Airplanes, Plans , & Narrow Stairs. What should I get next?

narrow stairs isnt that good
i like the old dcfc

Somehow managed to find all the albums on my computer although I have never bought them/dowloaded them, I took this as a sigh to listen to all of them in one bash.

Plans and Something About Planes were the two standout albums, although I did enjoy the Crooked Teeth EP. . . Soul Meets Body :) Best song of the lot.

transatlantacism, and then get the photo album. they are both great. transatlantacism is just as good as plans, imo

also if you are liking the ben gibbard stuff you should listen to the postal service's album, give up, and start listening to some Dntel (jimmy tamborello). both are electronic stuff. the postal service is ben gibbard's side project with tamborello (and is awesome) and Dntel is tamborello's "solo" stuff. he has done some songs with ben gibbard but also includes other indie stars like conor oberst, jenny lewis, rachel haden, and chris gunst.

I'd have to back anyone recommending transatlanticism... great album full of top notch tunes and lyrics which very much typify the band... although I love Plans and Narrow Stairs, I still kinda find myself evaluating all their stuff on a "is it as good transatlanticism" basis...

haha i hear that, but i think plans was as good as trans, just in a real different way. i listen to plans when i want to feel...you know that feeling when you walk outside on a chill fall day, and its real pretty outside, and you feel a little sad that this day won't last forever and that winter is around the corner but you are still happy because of how perfect out it is? that feeling. trans just makes me sad, in a good way though haha

Yeah, trans is a far more melancholic little collection of songs... beautifully craqfted though it is. Just got done listening to it and remembering what an amazing work it is... although definitely had to put on something more bouncy and happy after it.... hehehehehehe! Must revisit Plans very soon! I loved your description of it!

i thought so! :P.. postal service is wayyyyyyyy better than death cab

Is it bad that i just cant get into them?

at the same time i havent given much attention to their stuff. Any suggestions on songs i should hear? I do like Such Great Heights by the postal service but other than that im lost. Do i need to be in a reeeeeal chill mood for Death Cab?