We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes (Barsuk, 2000) is perhaps less emotional but the vignettes are no less persuasive (405, Company Calls, Title Track).

Sadly, The Photo Album (Barsuk, 2001), which is truly a journey album, is simply a disappointment. Why You'd Want to Live Here and We Laugh Indoors are deeply felt and mildly entertaining. However, most of the songs sound simply like leftovers from the previous album (albeit occasionally brilliant ones, such as A Movie Script Ending), or self-indulgent whines (Steadier Footing).

The band Cutie simulateously released the EP The Stability (Barsuk, 2002), which contains the (far superior) 13-minute slo-core opus Stability.

You Can Play These Songs With Chords (Barsuk, 2002) collects a 1997 cassette, plus rare and unreleased material.

Ben Gibbard's side project, All-Time Quarterback (Barsuk, 2002), which collects 1999 material originally released on an EP and a cassette, is devoted to classy lo-fi, the kind that only a real talent can concoct. Underwater and Plans Get Complex are pleasant and intelligent, while Cleveland, Empire State and Rules Broken manage to be intriguing despite their simplicity.

Postal Service's Give Up (Subpop, 2003) is a collaboration between Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel. Their tuneful eccentric ditties redefine synth-pop (Such Great Heights, We Will Become Silhouettes). The male-female duet in Nothing Better is particularly noteworthy. The arrangements and the dynamics are original enough to sustain any melodic construct.

Transatlanticism (Barsuk, 2003) is a distant relative of their best albums. Except for the anthemic The New Year and We Looked Like Giants, the sound is unfocused and the songs are bland. Even the eight-minute Transatlanticism cannot fully take advantage of the haunting atmosphere the instruments create.

Plans (Atlantic, 2005) is at least better in the melodic department. Soul Meets Body, Marching Bands of Manhattan, Your Heart Is an Empty Room prove what the band can do when it musters its power-pop skills. Ben Gibbard continues to enchant and hypnotize with simple sentimental songs such as the catchy serenade Soul Meets Body and the frail, acoustic I Will Follow You Into The Dark. Death Cab For Cutie is instead unusually weak when it needs to support the existential meditation of What Sarah Said (also the longest track), a fact that does not bode well for the future.

I Death Cab For Cutie sono un quartetto dell’area di Seattle, guidati dal cantante Ben Gibbard e dal chitarrista Chris Walla, che suona un rock lento, melanconico, alla maniera dei Built To Spill. Something About Airplanes (1999) è una raccolta di storie di alienazione e sconfitta (Your Bruise, Champagne From A Paper Cup).

We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes (2000) è forse meno emozionante, ma le canzoni non sono meno convincenti (405, Company Calls, e la title track).

Purtroppo The Photo Album (2001), che è davvero un album di viaggio, è semplicemente una delusione. Why You'd Want to Live Here e We Laugh Indoors sono profondamente sentite e piuttosto divertenti. Ma comunque molte canzoni sembrano semplicemente scarti dell’album precedente (a parte qualcuna più brillante, come A Movie Script Ending), o lamenti autoindulgenti (Steadier Footing).

La band Cutie realizzò l’EP The Stability (2002), che contiene l’opera slo-core (molto superiore) Stability (13 minuti).

You Can Play These Songs With Chords (2002) raccoglie una cassetta del 1997, più materiale raro e inedito.

Il progetto parallelo di Ben Gibbard, All-Time Quarterback (2002), che raccoglie materiale del 1999 edito originariamente su un EP e una cassetta, è lo-fi di classe, di quello che solo un vero talento può realizzare. Underwater e Plans Get Complex sono piacevoli e intelligenti, mentre Cleveland, Empire State e Rules Broken risultano intriganti nonostante la loro semplicità.

Give Up (2003), dei Postal Service, è una collaborazione tra Ben Gibbard e Jimmy Tamborello dei Dntel. Le loro canzoni eccentriche e melodiose ridefiniscono il synth-pop (Such Great Heights, We Will Become Silhouettes). Il duetto maschile-femminile in Nothing Better è particolarmente degno di nota. L’arrangiamento e i ritmi sono abbastanza originali per sostenere ogni costrutto melodico.

Transatlanticism (2003) è un lontano parente dei loro album migliori. Eccetto le inneggianti The New Year e We Looked Like Giants, il suono è vago e le canzoni sono blande. Anche Transatlanticism (8 minuti) non trae appieno vantaggio dall’ossessionante atmosfera creata dagli strumenti.