Additional personnel: The Barsuk Men's Choir.

Recorded at The Hall Of Justice, Avast, Ironwood, Studio X, Seattle, Washington; Tiny Telephone Studios, San Francisco, California.

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

Death Cab For Cutie: Benjamin Gibbard, Nicholas Harmer, Jason McGerr, Christopher Walla.

Additional personnel: The Barsuk Men's Choir.

Recorded at The Hall Of Justice, Avast, Ironwood, Studio X, Seattle, Washington and Tiny Telephone Studios, San Francisco, California.

Death Cab for Cutie finally delivers on its promise with its fourth album, TRANSATLANTICISM. Although the band's earlier outings have excellent moments, this collection of indie power-pop plays to Death Cab's strengths, wrapping Ben Gibbard's plaintive vocals and emotive lyrics in consistently dynamic and engaging arrangements. The album opens with the majestic surge of "The New Year," and moves to the instantly catchy "Lightness." While guitars chime over solid bass-and-drums backing, Gibbard's melancholy tales unfold, drawing the listener in further with each song, largely due to the perfect production of guitarist Chris Walla. By the time the wide-screen title track runs it course and the album ends with the oddly optimistic "A Lack of Color," it becomes clear that this is one of those albums that you'll listen to over and over again.