Big fan of this band, good for calm motorway driving! I got Plans a while back and i agree its the best album i bought for a while at least. Is translantism worth the purchase? better or worse?
I cant really say if its better or not. I can say that its different since Plans is a mellow style, Transatlanticism is more guitar heavy. It still has great songs on it though.
Actually I would recommend going in order of the actual releases and witness the development of the band. If you dont want all their early stuff at least start with "The Photo Album" than "Transatlanticism"
Also see if you can find some "Postal Service" downloads. It has Ben Gibbards song writing style, with some different musical styles. I like the whole album "Give Up" but it might not be for everyones tastes.