Ben Gibbard is the best songwriter of our time.
I love Death Cab. Soul Meets Body is not the best representation of their work in my opinion. They have been around for a long time, have developed and matured as a band and continue to put out original, creative music. Just saw them in DC, going again in Raleigh. Fantastic live...if you ever get the chance to see them, GO!
Some of my Death Cab favorites, in no particular order (with album in parentheses):
Blacking Out The Friction (The Photo Album)
Styrofoam Plates (The Photo Album)
You Can Do Better Than Me (Narrow Stairs)
I Was Once A Loyal Lover (The Open Door EP)
We Looked Like Giants (Transatlanticism)
Tiny Vessels (Transatlanticism)
Your Briuse (Something About Airplanes)
Fake Frowns (Something About Airplanes)
405 (We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes)
Ben Gibbard has some great solo stuff too.
[video=youtube;u5P_iIWn1zM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5P_iIWn1zM[/video]
[video=youtube;yo07D58nPh8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo07D58nPh8[/video]