I will admit to some skepticism in reviewing the latest 11 tracks from a band that takes up about five pockets in my CD case. As a die-hard fan of Death Cab for Cutie, musicians whose emotionally charged lyrics place singer Ben Gibbard on the top of my charts, I did not know what to expect from an eighth album. Especially since "Plans," released August 30, had abandoned the independent style of former label Barsuk Records for the publicity giants at Atlantic.

      But as I anxiously slipped Death Cab's major-label debut into my car stereo, I was reassured. Whether distributed by a major-label or out of a basement studio, this was the band that gave credibility to "The O.C."

      So I sat back and listened, unprejudiced of course, to what opener, "Marching Bands in Manhattan" had to offer. Sure enough, it was some quintessential Death Cab sensitivity. Though it came far from topping the opening punches of "The New Year" on 2003's "Transatlanticism," I could still picture the shady, swaying crowd from my first of the band's concerts. That was all the comfort I really needed.

      Transitioning to track 2, "Soul Meets Body," Death Cab assures its fans of more signature heart pounding lyrics to come. "We turn the dirt with our palms cupped like shovels / But I know our filthy hands can wash one another's."

      By the fourth song of "Plans," the band had accomplished their infamous mission: to make me feel just as lonely as I love. With the change of seasons between Labor Day nostalgia in "Summer Skin" and when "spring blooms and you'll find love that's true" on "Your Heart is an Empty Room," I remembered this powerful Death Cab effect.

      But even these guys know being sweet does not have to mean being soft. On "Crooked Teeth," the group kicks up the pop, reminiscent of some favorite tracks on "The Photo Album."

      But getting past "What Sarah Said," a sore recollection of love and death, and onto the final track, "Stable Song," I was forced to address a tick in my recognition. The sounds of "Plans" are surprisingly similar to those of Coldplay's recent release, "X&Y." But comparisons to a band with a sold-out international tour and wives like Gwyneth Paltrow cannot be taken negatively.

      For lack of individuality, Death Cab pulls off yet another solid album packed with enough feeling to fill a theater audience of "Titanic." Hopefully, so will their current tour for "Plans." Catch the band on Halloween, October 31, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood.