The Dismemberment Plan Album: “Change”

Almost every review I've seen of the Dismemberment Plan's most recent

record has invoked the album's title to discuss the earth-shattering shift

that it represents away from the band's old sound. I find this quite

amusing, partly because I'm just amused at how much artists can shape

critical response to a record just by their choice of title, but mostly

because I doubt most reviewers would have harped on that aspect of the

release if it hadn't been for the title.

First of all, the elements that make the Plan one of the most distinctive

Also, there's nothing as glorious and cathartic as "The City" or as

So if "Change" is not noteworthy in that respect, then what does it have

I could easily sit here and gush about the Plan (because they are that good), but I won't do that. What I will say is that they are simply one of the most exciting indie bands working today. I have to admit that for a short time after I first listened to "Change", I was slightly disappointed. It didn't seem to knock me over with the same brilliance, energy or feeling of euphoria that I get from listening to Emergency&I or Dismemberment Plan is Terrified. The difference in sound on Change is very apparent. This album is much more sentimental, emotional, and understated than other Plan albums. However, after a few more listens, I started to like it alot. It also has the first acoustic Dismemberment Plan song I've ever heard! You can definitely rock out to this album, Face of the Earth and Time Bomb are especially good. Also, Travis's lyrics are some of his most poetic and emotionally upfront. But don't expect to feel that special electricity course through you like you would with their other albums. You can get that at the live show.

This is one of the album that just confuses me. I know that Emergency and I is considered the better album, and in many ways i can agree...it has those magic runanddanceandtellanyonethatwilllisten songs that continue to inspire me to this day. Yet to this day, I swear by this album, and this album alone. There are no real indie anthems on Change, no punk freak outs, few layed keyboards. But none of that really matters. The lyrics are astonishing, the songwriting tight, the chops incredible. Change retains the Plan's unabashedly original, confident sound, it just adds a little maturity to the mix. Not to be missed

I didn't become aware of the D-Plan until the summer of 1999 when the radio-friendly track "What Do You Want Me to Say" from the album "Emergency and I" showed up on my CMJ sample disc. What can I say, I was struck and I found myself singing along to that song every time it played, bought the album two weeks later. Six months later I drove 450 miles to see a show in Milwaukee,WI. A veteran of some 300-500 indie rock shows, I was blown away, and not just a little. At the show they played "Time Bomb" and "Ellen and Ben" and "The Other Side", so I got a taste of what to expect when "Change" was released. And for the next six months I went to shows and bought other CDs, but all I could really think about was: When was The Plan's new CD going to come out.

One can try and label this band with a genre but why try? They have been labeled post-punk, emo, or avant garde, and I wouldn't necessarily say any of those comparisons are inaccurate, however by doing that you forget about the jazz, soul, and dance influences. To say they are a polka band would be inaccurate. If you are a true devoted fan of punk rock, "Change" is going to sound poppy and catchy and accessible, and a person might prefer an earlier album like "!". Your "average" radio listener is going to say they are weird. What I say is: Try a pair of headphones,turn up the volume, and reeally listen to the music. And who besides Travis writes lyrics like these: "...I'm an old testament type of guy/I like my coffee black and my parole denied yeah.....

Peace I'm out..........

"Change" may be filled with earnest, emotional songs, but it would be doing this album a great disservice to call it simply an "emo" or even "indie" album. The Dismemberment Plan's jazz-meets-rock-meets-pop style defies such easy classification. Instead the band stakes out their own niche with a combination of complex rhythms, endlessly fascinating melodies, and above all, rock-solid musicianship. In a sense this could even be considered math rock, owing mainly to the dazzling dexterity of the rhythm section. Joe Easley, especially, is a phenomenal drummer; in some songs he's basically playing extended solos. And the production makes perfect use of space, enabling the listener to pick up every nuance of the intricate arrangements. Supplying the feeling is lead singer Travis Morrison; although he does overdo it with the falsetto a bit, there's no denying that he puts a lot of emotion into his vocals. More than anything, though, what sets "Change" above the crowd is a diverse batch of memorable songs. The hard-rocking "Pay For The Piano" is doubtless one of the catchiest songs of the past few years, and "Following Through" isn't far behind. "Come Home" and the acoustic "Automatic" slow things down for a quieter and more reflective feel, while "Superpowers" just dispenses with the guitars and overwhelms you with layers of shimmering keyboards. "Time Bomb" and the stunning "Other Side" feature some absolutely sick rhythm work, proving conclusively that these guys aren't just another indie band. The good-natured "Ellen And Ben" even demonstrates a sense of humor, closing out the album with a witty tale of a hot-and-cold relationship. "Change" may be my first Dismemberment Plan album, but I can definitely see where all the praise for this band comes from. Now to get "Emergency And I!"