One could make the argument that the late 90's/early 00's was the worst period in rock and roll history. Radio was divided between boy/girl pop and butt rock, pop-punk was just breaking through to the mainstream, and originality was at an all time low. It is easy to see how a groundbreaking band like the Dismemberment Plan fell through the cracks in such an environment. Forming in 1993 while still in high school, the D-Plan initially took their cues from local D.C. heroes, Fugazi and Jawbox. Their first two albums, 1995's ! & 1997's Is Terrified, exhibited their oddball take on post-hardcore, but it was not until the turn of the millenium that they reached the height of their genius.
From the outset, the Dismemberment Plan were tied to DeSoto Records, which was and still is owned by members of Jawbox. In 1998, they were briefly picked up by Interscope Records. During this time, they recorded what would be their masterpiece, Emergency & I. However, their only album that Interscope released officially was The Ice of Boston EP. The label postponed the release of the full-length indefinitely, and in 1999, they dropped the D-Plan with Emergency & I still not seeing the light of day. They went back to DeSoto, and released the album, which won over even the toughest critics. Pitchfork even placed it as their #16 album of the 90's just weeks after it came out.
It is obvious that the band poured every drop of their enthusiasm into Emergency & I, and on top of that, the album conveys a great sense of humor, something that indie rock was missing for the most part. The album opens with "A Life of Possibilities," which instantly launches into an unfathomable rhythm with Travis Morrison soaring in and out of his freestyle falsetto. There are keyboards present, but not your typical Cure-aping soaring synth lines. Here, the Rolands and Korgs bellow and pulse in truly bizarre fashion, yet somehow help to keep the song cohesive. From here, the band goes all over the place. "What Do You Want Me To Say?" bounces between scrambled verses and supertight choruses. "You Are Invited" is mostly just a programmed drum beat that occasionally teases with chiming guitars, until the entire band explodes onto the track without warning.
The underground success of Emergency & I afforded the band much better touring opportunities, as they were invited to open for Pearl Jam's 2000 European tour. However, they still were not able to cross over into the mainstream. In 2001, they recorded their final proper LP, Change, which was by far the band's most straightforward and approachable work. In 2002, they put all of the tracks from Emergency & I and Change on their website, and encouraged their fans to rearrange and submit them (which may have been the birth of the indie remix). They picked their favorites, and released them as A People's History of the Dismemberment Plan. Despite this novel idea and their new polished sound, the band broke up in January of 2003. They played one reunion show in 2007, at a benefit for Callum Robbins, the son of Jawbox/Burning Airlines singer J. Robbins, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy.
Since the Dismemberment Plan's demise, Travis Morrison has released two solo LPs under his own name, working closely with Chris Walla and Jason McGerr from Death Cab for Cutie. Bassist Eric Axelson joined ex-members of the Promise Ring in Maritime from 2004 to 2006, and now plays with D-Plan drummer Joe Easley in a band called Statehood. None of these bands, however, have met either the commercial or critical success of the Dismemberment Plan.
Check out this fan-made video for "You Are Invited" from Emergency & I here:
From the outset, the Dismemberment Plan were tied to DeSoto Records, which was and still is owned by members of Jawbox. In 1998, they were briefly picked up by Interscope Records. During this time, they recorded what would be their masterpiece, Emergency & I. However, their only album that Interscope released officially was The Ice of Boston EP. The label postponed the release of the full-length indefinitely, and in 1999, they dropped the D-Plan with Emergency & I still not seeing the light of day. They went back to DeSoto, and released the album, which won over even the toughest critics. Pitchfork even placed it as their #16 album of the 90's just weeks after it came out.
It is obvious that the band poured every drop of their enthusiasm into Emergency & I, and on top of that, the album conveys a great sense of humor, something that indie rock was missing for the most part. The album opens with "A Life of Possibilities," which instantly launches into an unfathomable rhythm with Travis Morrison soaring in and out of his freestyle falsetto. There are keyboards present, but not your typical Cure-aping soaring synth lines. Here, the Rolands and Korgs bellow and pulse in truly bizarre fashion, yet somehow help to keep the song cohesive. From here, the band goes all over the place. "What Do You Want Me To Say?" bounces between scrambled verses and supertight choruses. "You Are Invited" is mostly just a programmed drum beat that occasionally teases with chiming guitars, until the entire band explodes onto the track without warning.
The underground success of Emergency & I afforded the band much better touring opportunities, as they were invited to open for Pearl Jam's 2000 European tour. However, they still were not able to cross over into the mainstream. In 2001, they recorded their final proper LP, Change, which was by far the band's most straightforward and approachable work. In 2002, they put all of the tracks from Emergency & I and Change on their website, and encouraged their fans to rearrange and submit them (which may have been the birth of the indie remix). They picked their favorites, and released them as A People's History of the Dismemberment Plan. Despite this novel idea and their new polished sound, the band broke up in January of 2003. They played one reunion show in 2007, at a benefit for Callum Robbins, the son of Jawbox/Burning Airlines singer J. Robbins, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy.
Since the Dismemberment Plan's demise, Travis Morrison has released two solo LPs under his own name, working closely with Chris Walla and Jason McGerr from Death Cab for Cutie. Bassist Eric Axelson joined ex-members of the Promise Ring in Maritime from 2004 to 2006, and now plays with D-Plan drummer Joe Easley in a band called Statehood. None of these bands, however, have met either the commercial or critical success of the Dismemberment Plan.
Check out this fan-made video for "You Are Invited" from Emergency & I here:
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