Major label hails Death Cab for Cutie

"People were maybe a little worried," bassist Nick Harmer said in a phone interview from his Seattle home. "We blocked that all out as much as we could and just said, we need to make a record, make it great, put it out and get on the road. I think just by us doing that and making the record we did, there was kind of a collective sigh."

A sigh of relief, that is.

The sensitive rockers have done better critically and commercially with each album, and 2005's "Plans" is no different.

"Plans" debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, garnered the band a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album and has sold more than a half-million copies.

"Rock music this substantive is increasingly rare, but 'Plans' delivers beyond expectations," said a Billboard review.

The album features lush, swirling melodies and meaningful melancholy lyrics that seem to be a natural extension of 2003's "Transatlanticism." Though the new album's name suggests otherwise, Death Cab let "Plans" develop naturally.

"It was more like farming than it was like chemistry," Harmer said. "(Singer Ben Gibbard) brought in a bunch of seeds, and we all watered and fertilized them and kept them warm and hopefully they'd grow into something. That's the album that came up around us as we were making it. It was very organic in that way."

Being on a major label had no effect on the band or its "Plans," Harmer said. When Death Cab put together its deal with Atlantic Records, it made sure it didn't lose any artistic control.

"What was exciting about (the deal with Atlantic) is that we preserved the things that are really the most important things to us in the world," Harmer said. "It had nothing to do with money. What is most important is creative control and that we get to make our records in the ways we want to make our records and that there's no interference from the label."

Case in point: When Harmer and a filmmaking friend wanted to make a video for a song on "Plans," the bassist placed a call to Atlantic marketing and was essentially told that he had the go-ahead to make a video for one song — or even for every song — on the album.

The result is an anthology of a dozen short films made by different directors that are each inspired by a song on "Plans." Directors' styles and experiences varied from Jeffrey Brown, a graphic novelist who had never before done animation, to P.R. Brown, an artist who has directed more than 20 music videos for bands such as Mötley Crüe.

The project name — "Directions" — is also a bit ironic.

"We gave them no direction," Harmer laughed. "We said pick a song from our record, any song you want, and then come up with an idea, anything you've been wanting to try as a director, anything you think you can do."

The idea began as an online extra, but when the band saw the results, it knew it had to do more.

"It was only when they came in that we were like, 'Wow, these are awesome. We should put these on DVD. People might want to own them and not just stream them online,' " Harmer said.

Since January, a new video has been shown each week on the band's Web site (deathcab forcutie.com), but only one video is available at a time. The entire collection will be released as a DVD April 11.

"Directions" wasn't the first time Harmer dabbled in film — he produced a video for the Decemberists. In fact, each of the long-standing band members (Death Cab has seen many drummers come and go) has a side project. Guitarist/producer Chris Walla has produced, engineered and mixed albums for bands such as Nada Surf and Hot Hot Heat, and singer Ben Gibbard is also half of the popular synth-pop band the Postal Service, whose 2003 Sub Pop Records debut "Give Up" outsold any Death Cab album to date.

"All of it betters us as musicians and people in a way," Harmer said. "When we bring it all back to Death Cab it expands the palette we can draw from. I honestly credit our health and our longevity to the fact that we do have these other outlets."

Still, each member considers Death Cab the ultimate priority and for now those other projects fall aside as the band plans to tour for the rest of the year. By 2007, Death Cab should be back to writing and recording new material, Harmer said.

"We're already starting to talk about the next record," he said. "We're very excited about getting in and really making an exciting record."

There's no doubt that the next Death Cab for Cutie release will also be eagerly anticipated, yet Harmer seems undaunted. History seems to play in his favor.

"If I was a betting man," he laughed, "I would assume that the next record will be even more popular than 'Plans.'"

Quick take

Death Cab for Cutie and Franz Ferdinand in concert

with the Cribs

When: 7 p.m. Monday, March 27

Where: UA Centennial Hall

Tickets: Sold out