Welcome to “Where to Start”! As always, we’ll be guiding you through the back catalogue of established bands - both obscure and relatively well known - and covering their best, worst and most middling cuts. We’ll be dividing the bands’ output into five categories: Start Here, Follow Up, Try This, For Fans Only and Avoid. This month: The Dismemberment Plan.
Who are The Dismemberment Plan? And what do they mean to the musicians who they influenced? In regards to the first question, this Washington D.C. was formed in 1993 by bassist Eric Axelson, guitarist Jason Caddell, vocalist/guitarist Travis Morrison, and original drummer Steve Cummings, all four of whom were still in college at the time. Following the release of debut album ‘!’ in 1995, Cummings bowed out, with Joe Easley stepping in, cementing the group’s renowned line up there after. In the process, they released three more albums until 2003 through local label DeSoto Records, owned by former Jawbox members Bill Barbot and Kim Coletta. After the odd reunion shows in 2007 and 2010, the band would regroup once more to tour and release another record in 2013.
As always in ‘Where to Start’, we have now rooted the basics in the band’s history, but now we go back to that second question we left hanging at the start. This neatly ties in with what The Dismemberment Plan’s stylistic tones were. To help us elaborate on their unique musicality, is Ian Breen, vocalist/guitarist for Manchester band Claw the Thin Ice, who after buying their fourth album ‘Change’ through intriguing familiarity at the age of 17/18, became hooked by them. “I guess I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was bowled over by it,” explains Breen. “The thing that instantly drew me in were the somewhat anecdotal lyrics and the really cheeky keyboards, especially on ‘Superpowers’ and ‘Ellen and Ben’.” Whilst the refined pop/indie rock tones of ‘Change’ brought Breen in, it wasn’t until he listened to “the inventive and unpredictable masterpiece” that is their 1999 third album’Emergency & I’ where the band truly floored him.
Without a doubt, this record is certainly the key for introducing one to the band’s use of blending indie and post hardcore attributes with musical currents that were in debt to hip hop, R&B, jazz, and pop. “It’s an album that has everything that I love about music,” states Breen. “It’s brimming with party vibes, relatable melodrama, noisy chaos and gigantic choruses.” What more could you want! Katie Dvorak, keyboardist/vocalist for The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, certainly agrees. “Their songs can be erratic, or upbeat, or downright bummers, but they still have an identifiable quality unique to themselves no matter how much their sound develops over time.” Dvorak elaborates that such shifts in tone is “not easy to do”, but The Dismemberment Plan pull it off, something that she appreciates wholeheartedly. Like Breen, the D.C. quartet were also “very influential” for Dvorak, especially in their use of synths on the aforementioned record. Admittedly, this instrument is a key component to the band’s innovative delivery. What also could be considered a valuable asset are Travis Morrison’s vocals.
Morrison’s “delivery is often quite understated and almost innocent-sounding, explains Breen, “which makes his impassioned yells as ‘Memory Machine’ and ‘The City’ peak all the more powerful.” This emotive range by The D Plan frontman truly grounds the impact that the songs have making them more human and relatable. Of course, this wouldn’t be so without the strength of his lyrics. Breen believes that Morrison’s words “seem to constantly place him somewhere between the mundane real-life and a daydream. For every anecdotal tale there’s an elaborately detailed observation that verges on stream-of-consciousness absurdity.” Such touches provide a pure sincere depth to the group. Thus, combined with an ever changing and shifting musical tone, makes for a band worth adding to your priority list.
Start Here: ‘Emergency & I’
Out of The Dismemberment Plan’s five albums, the one which will get you hooked to their flair is 1999 third effort, ‘Emergency & I’. With this album, the band managed to concoct a relatable soundtrack for one’s twenties; an ebb and flow of stimulation and social conventions. For many it was considered a breakthrough effort in breaking new ground in the indie rock sphere. In a 2011 revisiting, Pitchfork described it as stylistically blending Radiohead with De La Soul; to some degree, this analogy is not too far off the mark.
The album starts with ‘A Life of Possibilities’, which bubbles and bursts with tech, before erupting into an indie rock flourish . Separating between this channel is Travis Morrison’s uncertain and fragile vocals. His vocal style provides a sincere touch to the album’s musicality, especially when the nervousness snaps. From the anthemic, rhythmic powerhouse of ‘What Do You Want Me to Say?’ to the stammering insanity displayed by ‘Girl O’Clock’, such a touch helps to ground the party like gusto these songs have. Yet, what holds such tracks up is the masterfully well oiled precision of Eric Axelson’s bass and Joe Easley’s drums.
The bold, brash nature of such big songs is kept at bay by tracks like the jazzy ‘Spider in the Snow’ and the downtrodden introspection in ‘The Jitters’. They provide a much needed change of pace between the big hitters, with their calming tones and keyboard fuelled ambiance. This pattern of shifting moods and tones, from highs to lows, neatly meshes with ‘Emergency & I”s main themes; the problematic and pedantic experiences of one’s 20s. Speaking of the lyrical content itself, there is an honest relatable quality to it. Whether it’s touching on issues of belonging in social situations (‘You Are Invited’), feelings of detachment in what was the beginnings of the Internet age (‘Memory Machine’), or matters of identity rooted in one’s home identity, there isn’t a sense of fabrication in The Dismemberment Plan’s delivery. This is what makes ‘Emergency & I’ a thrillingly genuine listen and strong introduction to this group.
Follow-Up: ‘Change’
With their 2001 fourth album ‘Change’, The Dismemberment Plan took a more refined and mature approach to their songwriting. Morrison described the album as their “night record”, which is a fitting phrase as I revisit this album sat in my living room on a quiet evening, engulfing myself in it’s introspection. Opening track ‘Sentimental Man’ sets this pondering tone with it’s lavish atmosphere provided by swirling keys, daydream-esque melody and understated drumming. From here you get sucked into the band’s musical current.
As you drift along this focused motion, songs such as the laid back rhythm of ‘Face of the Earth’, the sonically powered pop hit ‘Superpowers’ and the chillingly warped delivery on ‘Pay for the Piano’, feature stirring choruses that make your ears prick up to attention. With a contemplative emotional lingering air in each track, this wealth of songwriting is difficult to shrug off. Throughout the album’s run, The Dismemberment Plan are at there most vulnerable and rawest frame of mind. Acoustic tinged doozy ‘Automatic’ testifies to this motion. In many ways, it is an echoing follow up to ‘Emergency & I”s ‘The Jitters’, with a similar sense of meditative weariness.
Whilst meditative is on one end of the emotive spectrum, displeasure rings out on the other. The bitter, pathetic edge underlying ‘Time Bomb’ hold you still, until it takes you off guard as the tension builds up. Moments like this are what makes ‘Change’ an invigorating experience to tune into. Admittedly, it lacks the batshit spontaneity of ‘Emergency & I’, but it is nonetheless a necessarily therapeutic thrilling follow up when exploring The Dismemberment Plan’s discography for the first time.
Try This: ‘…Is Terrified’
Before delivering the double accomplishment of ‘Emergency & I’ and ‘Change’, The D Plan were still figuring things out in their earlier efforts. Debut album ‘!’ was a mixed bag and rough starting point by the band, which we’ll dissect later on. However, the following album put them on the right track in terms of creativity. Although not quite perfect, ‘…Is Terrified’ showed an outfit who were brimming with innovative, creatively structured ideas which would layout the blueprints for the releases which followed.
Throughout this piece, we have discussed the band’s strengths in their tight rhythm and percussive sections, as well as Travis Morrison’s innocent yet uneasy vocal tone. On this record, you can hear how the band were starting to hone in on these qualities. From the mid tempo hip hop tinged flow in ‘This Is the Life’ to the off kilter pathetic yearning in ‘One Too Many Blows to the Head’, The Dismemberment Plan were digging into the creative itch that these strengths played upon. Still, the delivery does feel somewhat rushed, yet such an abrasiveness maintains a certain addictive energy. Without it, songs like ‘The Ice of Boston’ and ‘Tonight We Mean It’, with it’s fluctuating shift from synth pop to post hardcore noise, would lack a charm which keeps their dispassionate and absurd tones in check.
For Fans Only: ‘!’
Like some great artists, The Dismemberment Plan didn’t consistently score on the first try, or in this case, album. Simply titled as ‘!’, this first full length album were the results from a young D.C. band rooted in rawly tinged Dischord inspired post hardcore, brimming with potentially creative ideas. For instance, ‘Wouldn’t You Like to Know?’ and ‘Things That Matter’ are examples that show off the unrefined beginnings of Morrison’s signature vocal style, whilst the likes of ‘I’m Going to Buy You a Gun’ and ‘If I Don’t Write’ formulated the blueprints for The D Plan’s well intentioned musicality.
Still you may be wondering, why is this album in the “fans only” section? Despite the amiable hook of hearing The Dismemberment Plan’s raw beginnings, what botches it is the tinny production. This weakness has led to ‘!”s not aging well, plus tracks like ‘Survey Says’ and ‘Soon to Be Ex-Quaker’, with it’s chimes and hand claps, get lost in a messy mix. Another thing that may stick out to some people is the style of original drummer Steve Cummings, whilst a competent player, lacks the flexibility of his successor Joe Easley. Overall, whilst this 1995 debut has its perks, including the nervously erratic ‘OK Jokes Over’, it isn’t a necessary must hear.
Avoid: ‘Uncanney Valley’
After over a decade since their last release, a lot had changed for the members of the band. In 2013, they were older, wiser, and somewhat well adjusted. This was certainly the impression given on their comeback album, ‘Uncanney Valley’, which showed a more carefree group. The self assured tone in Morrison’s vocals in tracks like ‘Lookin’ and the breezy nature in ‘No One’s Saying Nothing’, with it’s use of bells and old fashioned keys, certainly behold a band who’re at ease with themselves. However, this somehow takes away what you’d come to expect from a Dismemberment Plan record.
On the one hand, whilst the likes of ‘Mexico City’ and the twirling hubbub of ‘White Collar White Trash’ contain all the rhythms and angular heightened ingredients which make a good D Plan song, instead they end up sounding distinctly average. It’s a jarringly mixed record to take in, even if it comes from an honest place. Sure, ‘Waiting’ is a delightful tune and ‘Invisible’ has a hypnotic foreboding tone to it, but all in all, ‘Uncanney Valley’ doesn’t leave a lasting impression compared to the band’s previous output.
For what it’s worth, The Dismemberment Plan were an accomplished outfit in delivering a unique style that was their own. Combining rhythms which were rooted in hip hop, jazz, and RnB with sincerely emotive indie rock and post hardcore tendencies allowed them to make their mark on the musical landscape. The albums they produced are quite often overlooked by the mainstream press, which makes articles such as this all the more important to keep their influence alive. Therefore, if you’ve been intrigued by what you’ve read, then by all means plunge into The D Plan’s repertoire.