After being Indie-Rock's darlings for four straight albums now, and countless plugs by Fox's The O.C, Death Cab For Cutie finally take the plunge into the mainstream by signing to Atlantic Records and releasing Plans, their major label debut. Plans picks up right where D.C.F.C.'s last album, 2003's mighty Transatlanticism left off, and I must say, way too much so. Plans feels like a coldly calculated album from a band that's said to themselves "Let's not mess this up guys, you know how long it took us to get here? Let's just play it safe and stick to the plan!"

Don't get me wrong, there are good songs to be found here. Some like the heart wrenching tale of losing a loved one in "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" and first single "Soul Meets Body" I would even classify as great. But so much of Plans is just filled to the brim with O.C.- ready fodder that I have to step back after nearly every song and ask myself, haven't I already heard this one before? I find it hard to believe that musicians as gifted as vocalist Ben Gibbard and guitarist/producer Chris Walla, two musical minds that I highly respect, would paint themselves into such a small corner and not at least take a few chances. A song like "What Sarah Said" is a good example of the Transatlanticism-borrowing that makes this release come across as blatant self-forgery. Which song you might ask? Why, none other other than that album's self-titled track. When Gibbard sings the repetitive chorus of "So Who's Gonna Watch You Die?" over and over on "What Sarah Said," you can't help but be instantly reminded of the "C'mon! C'mon!" part that is repeated over and over again on "Transatlanticism."

The tempo, the musical arrangement; everything just feels strangely reminiscent of something you've already heard before. You'd think that songwriters as prolific as Gibbard and Walla would realize that "once is enough" and try out a different plan. The title of the album really says it all - other than a few exceptions this major label release is far too formulaic. It all sounds pleasant and polished, but all too familiar, personally I found it much more exciting the first time I heard it.