41. Death Cab For Cutie - Plans - 2005

Plans is a fine record, no doubt, but it's not Transatlanticism. Still it's easy to listen to with several stand outs. As wonderful as "Soul Meets Body" is, the real stand out single on this record is the acoustic "I Will Follow You into the Dark". In Trans, I made a comparison to Paul Simon, this song warrants the same. Dealing with love and the temporary state of life and love with a clear affinity for the shadows rather than the light are hallmarks of Paul Simon's songs in the 60's. I hear echoes of it in several of Ben Gibbards songs. Much like Simon he has a very soft and friendly voice. Combining that voice with intelligent lyrics and an embrace of darker subject matter, you can't help but see the similarities. "I Will Follow You into the Dark" is hauntingly beautiful. "What Sara Said", while also similar in dealing with themes of death and dying isn't something that I would relate to Paul Simon. Rather, this is uniquely Death Cab For Cutie. This song to me is the finest thing that Ben Gibbard has written to date. With all the great songs he has written, none speaks more to the human experience than this one. For all the countless songs of love and love lost that has filled the airwaves and record stores for the last six decades of rock and country, this is the most coherent and focused attempt at examining and dealing with the slow death of a loved one in a hospital and the final moments of a life lost. This sort of subject matter could easily be fodder for a clumsy country song, but here it is handled with such grace and literately expressed honesty that it leaves the listener feeling something that music seldom does. This is a great record. This is my copy:

Also, this vinyl edition has "Talking Like Turnstiles" as a bonus track. The CD doesn't. I really like this song.