My first introduction to DCFC was a live show, perhaps the best showcase for their pretty-but-angry sound. In the recording studio, the spare instrumentation sounds like more than the sum of its parts, and Ben Gibbard's arpeggiated vocal lines are almost soothing. DCFC makes beautiful, heartbreaking music, but the current of anger and bitterness runs close beneath the surface.

"Styrofoam Plates" finds company with rage-against-the-father anthems like the Cherry Poppin' Daddies "Drunk Daddy" and Tool's "Prisonsex", unflinching in its portrayal of a betrayed child's emotions, while managing to avoid self-indulgence.

If DCFC are destined to have a breakthrough hit, I believe it will be "A Movie Script Ending" - a haunting, relentless anthem about long distance relationships and hours on the road. But there are other, more imaginative tracks on the album that deserve attention. "Information Travels Faster" is smart and catchy, and "Why You'd Want to Live Here" features some of the best drumming and risky syncopation I've heard in recent popular music. "Blacking Out the Friction" isn't afraid to change-up the rhythm in support of the message in the lyrics, showing off the natural rhythm of frontman Ben Gibbard's poetry - and it is poetry, much more so than just rhyming lyrics squashed within the time signature.

In fact, the drums are one of the biggest reasons to check out DCFC. Rather than being relegated to timekeeping, they take center stage as an instrument on this album, which might be confusing at first. A repetitive guitar line undulates during the instrumental interlude in "Styrofoam Plates," but the drums are playing their own melody line. Michael Schorr, new to DCFC on this album, proves that he has the chops to pick up where Nathan Good left off.

The audible influences (if not influences, certainly close cousins, anyway) are diverse: from the Beach Boys to the Pet Shop Boys, Suzanne Vega and the Flaming Lips; echoes of guitar bands from the 80s and a good helping of Northwest punk keep the music from being just pretty pop.

It's good to see that these guys have yet to hit a slump. Most bands begin to falter around the third album, running out of good lyrics and have lost the feeling that the they want to be in a band to play good music and not there to just sell records (you know who I'm talking about Everclear, Offspring, Blink 182 . . .). Even after writing two great albums, Ben Gibbard stills finds very emotional and engaging topics to write about.

I went to a DCFC show in Portland for the Photo Album tour. I had only owned "We have the facts..." but wanted to check out if the new album would really be as good before purchasing. Not only did I buy "The Photo Album," but I had to bum my friend's last buck to get "Something About Airplanes" as well. Neither purchase was a waste of money.

Outstanding songs on the album include, but are not limited to:

I have the tour edition of the CD that included 3 extra tracks. None of them could stand on there own, and it is not worth paying the extra bucks on eBay to get the tour edition. But the original 10 tracks are fantastic.

Probably a better starter album than "We have the facts..." because most of the tracks have a faster tempo and doesn't take as much devotion to really enjoy the record.

As the music industry drifts further into a bastion of cookie-cutter-crap music, I find increasing dependency on such bands as Death Cab. This album signifies why we need and love independent music. As someone who finds herself constantly debating whether I just keep buying the same album over and over or if a lot of new music desperately lacks ingenuity, Death Cab helps me keep the faith. The Photo Album hits harder beats than previous albums, and is truly a great album sure to impress even the most tainted. Highly recommended

I've noticed that people tend to rate albums very very highly when they review them, often four or five stars. Some albums deserve five stars, but many don't. Consequently, when reading these reviews people get a biased viewpoint and end up purchasing albums that, well, really aren't five star albums. This, as much as I hate to say it, is not a five star album. Sure, it has its moments, and the lyrics are ok, but it's a very slow, mellow repetitive album, that many would argue is whiney. It's a shame, too, because when they music does pick up or change (such as on the third track) or use some interesting drum arrangements (such as on the ninth track) it really does sound pretty good. If you're into emo and mellow music, then I'd imagine you'd enjoy this. If you're into indie rock (or Modest Mouse or Built To Spill) then you might be particularly annoyed and bored by this album.

This review will probably be rated "not helpful" by many Death Cab For Cutie fans, which is a shame, because I really am trying to prevent music lovers from buying an album which they may find sub-par or mediocre. It's not a terrible album, just a dull one.

I was originally introduced to death cab by a friend of mine. At first listen, I admit, I was less than thrilled as it wasn't a fitting soundtrack to our anticipatingly eventful night. This is one album you have to devote yourself some time to sit down and listen to. From the first chord of styrophome plates; a song about Gibbards father, I was awe-struck. I found myself chasing down every word of this song, a sort of bitter, almost embarrassing honesty about it. I was hooked.

Opening with "steadier footing," Photo Album is appropriately titled and serves just that, an album of events in Gibbards life. This album shows DCFC's versatility as each song takes on it's own sort of form, sounding different than the last. As an aspiring indie musician, I rated this album 5 because Death Cab did a hard thing here, creating a perfectly carrying album from start to finish- Meaning, each song seems to make a balanced transition from the previous to the next; rather than filling the first half of a cd with pop-hits. Taken in context, I found that even songs that I had at-first-listen found to be repetitive and boring, take on a whole different character when you take the time to experience them. Do yourself a favor, if you claim to be a death cab fan and only listen to transatlanticism, listen to this cd... twice. This goes to all the facebook and myspace girls out there too.