The Dismemberment Plan Album: “The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified”

Given the splash 1999's _Emergency & I_ made in the indie world, it's very hard to evaluate the Dismemberment Plan's previous album, _The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified_, on its own merits. Comparisons have to be made: _Is Terrified_ is rawer, noisier, more atonal, more experimental, less catchy, less melodic... essentially, _Emergency & I_ is the bizarre rock of _Is Terrified_ distilled into tuneful pop song form. This is not unusual: many indie rock bands will at some point release an album that critics declare more "mature" or "refined" than their previous work. What that doesn't tell anyone is whether the earlier, less refined work is any good.

Well, let me tell you: _Is Terrified_ rocks. From the opening, any Plan fan will recognize Travis Morrison's pitter-patter vocals and sardonically intellectual lyrics ("Leave your context at home and check your irony at the door"). By the time I heard him sputter "I know everybody here would love to get down and wipe the slate clean and do what they want and say what they mean and eliminate the, uh, existential, uh, quandaries of, uh, modern, uh, postmodern, uh, reality... ya dig?" at near-Micro-Machines speed, I was hooked. Irregular time signatures abound: "Academy Award" starts with drums playing a regular 4/4 against a guitar line that switches between 5/8 and 3/4 every measure. The band's sense of texture is, as usual, amazing, from the gritty synth playing the bassline of "That's When The Party Started" to the repeated plinking of one note in the right speaker on "This Is The Life", from the sudden entry of the guitars to support the choruses of "It's So You" to the crunchy groove underlying the verses of "Bra".

Strangely, although I always wished _Emergency & I_ could've been more experimental, it's just that lack of poppiness that keeps this album from being truly great. Although I thoroughly enjoy the album, and although the songs do stick in my head, I sometimes find myself missing the wonderful melodies that I know the band is capable of. Most of the vocals here are spoken, chanted or shouted, and the catchiest tunes (the choruses of "That's When The Party Started" and the verses of "Manipulate Me", for example) are much simpler and less sophisticated than a song like "Memory Machine". The other problem with _Is Terrified_ is that it occasionally crosses the line from rawness or silliness into obnoxiousness. The best example of this is "One Too Many Blows to the Head", whose screamy vocals and belligerent theme threaten to get on my nerves unless I remember that there's an atonal brass section just around the corner.

Enough of this criticism, though! Overall, the album is wonderful, and anyone interested in this band or this style of music should own a copy.

After the unabashed punk attitude of "!", the Plan expands into spazzyland with this very happyquirky collection of songs that could only have come from them. While their love for cacaphony and Travis' distinctive vocal punctuations is still very much present, there is also much more sonic variety and more catchy tempos at work here. Also, the lyrics are priceless and engaging, daring you not to sing along! Some songs could easily have been at home on "!" (Manipulate Me, for example), others sound more "Emergency"-like ("This is the Life") but most are distinctive combination between the two and could only have been on this in-between release. But, more than simply serving as a musical roadmap to the Plan's creative direction, the biggest reason for me to enthusiastically recommend this CD to you is, it's just plain noisy and irreverent FUN!

By any rights, this should be a band's best album. It's completely unique, every song, every sounds holds your complete and undivided attention. Most of the songs are brilliant, many simply defy adjectives. This is, of course, something I'd come to expect from the Dismemberment Plan. 'Terrified' was actually the last of their first three albums that I purchased; I started out with "Emergency & I", then bought "!" at the first Plan show I saw. Only weeks later did I finally find a copy of "terrified' and grab it up.

Every track on the album is a standout, but to paraphrase Orwell, some tracks are more standout than others. 'Bra' is a hilarious, almost lyrically free-form song that should appeal to both casual listeners and hard-core music fans whose heads will reel with the dramatic time changes and strange melodies (trust me; I have seen this happen many times). 'Do the Standing Still' is an incredibly energetic song about the tendency of young music fans to simply stand still at shows. Also very funny and a peice of brilliant music. But in my opinion the album's true materpeice is "The Ice of Boston", which, outside of "The City" on 1999's "Emergency", is the most beautiful song I've ever heard.

Buy this album. Buy all their albums. This is the best band out there today, and I have made it my mission in life to introduce everyone I know (and in this case don't know) to them.

Great music by some great fellows. Both quirky and catchy the songs stick in your head like jingle...a very disturbing, polyrhythmic jingle for a product probably not suitable for children. However, to get the full effect, one must see them live. The album doesn't capture the full intensity and insanity these boys produce on stage. Still, buy the album so when you see them you can sing along.

This CD absolutely blows my mind when I think about the lyrics. Anyone can tell that this music is truly inspiring in the simple yet powerful chord use. However, the genius is in the communication of the band's feeling in each song.