Now that the only way to make money off songs is to put them on Xbox games or iTunes commercials, the term "selling out" seems archaic. Yet, there is still a bit of apprehension when your and Seth Cohen's favorite band decides to leave its longtime indie home for major label pastures.

Death Cab for Cutie must have sensed their fans' collective anxiety while working on their Atlantic Records debut, "Plans," back in 2005. To quell the fears, every note on the album was meticulously thought out and perfectly placed, resulting in a record every bit equal to their masterful "Transatlanticism."

The band took a different approach on 2008's "Narrow Stairs" and the subsequent "The Open Door EP," returning to rock simplicity. Drummer Jason McGerr describes the stylistic shift.

"The most obvious difference is that 'Plans' was the first major label record for us. We had been on an independent label and there was no one to answer to but ourselves. But 'Plans' was like, 'Wow, let's really roll up our sleeves, get the clipboards out, and really manage things to make sure it's as good as it can possibly be.'"

The critical and commercial success of 'Plans,' coupled with the energy gathered from constant touring, led to Death Cab returning to the studio with "rock veracity," McGerr says. "It was like, 'I can roll it with some holes in my jeans and some bed head. But I still have this rock 'n' roll memory of sweating on stage for three years straight, so let's just be loose about it.'"

The band couldn't be happier with the bed-headed results. "It was a much more casual approach and it came out with much more of a rock energy. I really like that it has the raw, four-guys-in-a-room vibe," McGerr says.

Not all of the songs they recorded for "Narrow Stairs," however, fit into the overall scheme of the album. Rather than trash the leftovers, earlier this year the band packaged and released them as "The Open Door EP."

"We're still a band that enjoys listening to albums. The idea of writing a complete thought appeals to us. When we set out to record, we always have an A list and B list and try to record as much stuff as we can. There were times that ['The Open Door' songs] were in the running order for 'Narrow Stairs.' But it doesn't take us long to make the final decision about what makes the cut and what doesn't. The album needs to sound like a complete album to us and have what we call 'the rewind factor' -- as soon as the last song spins out you want to listen to it all over again."

The "Open Door" songs have been working well as their own release. The track "Little Bribes" has even been getting a lot of radio play, to the surprise of the band. "Usually you put your singles out there and then radio's done with the record, and the record label's done with it, and you move on to the next record. But 'Narrow Stairs/Open Door' has had 5 songs that have been in the top 20. It's still kicking."

McGerr says that Salt Lake City fans can expect to hear a few "Open Doors" songs (he leaves the rest of the setlist a mystery) and the band expects the usual excitable crowd. "I've gotta hand to Salt Lake. Every time we play there, it's like this crazy crowd that's from some other planet. The kids just go nuts. We look as forward to playing that show as we do any other."