The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency and I

In the northeast, "The Plan" have been an underground indie favorite for more than a decade now. Stories of their shows where fans are frequently encouraged to join the band on stage for dance-punk freakouts, has been written about in every online indie music blog I've ever read. And their break-up in 2004 not only devastated their fans but also led to an extreme backlash to their frontman, Travis Morrison's attempt at a solo career. In fact, Pitchfork infamously gave his first and only solo record, "Travistan" the ridiculous 0.0/10.0 and sadly caused some stores to not even sell the CD. So, before I even listened to their now classic, "Emergency and I" I felt like I already had some kind of strange relationship with the band and their music.

Immediately, the record knocked me on my ass... It's the perfect blend of a lot of the stuff I listened to through college and the indie/post-punk/dance I've been intensely catching up on over the past three years. Talking Heads meets Glassjaw meets Hot Chip...All of these sounds were literally jumping out of these songs and punching me in the face. Jittery rhythms, spine tingling start-stop guitar work, and great dance jams pulsate throughout the record, bringing their already mentioned, Talking Heads influence to the forefront. And like the art-rock pioneers, they have an uncanny way of bringing all of these disparate ideas together for catchy and unforgettable anthem-like hooks ("what do you want me to say"). These songs have been sitting on the edge of my brain for a week now causing me not to go as long as an hour without putting on the head phones and without even thinking about it, making my way to songs like "You Are Invited" and attempting to rattle off Morrison's unique and unrivaled lyrics.

It's always strange listening to records like this a decade after its release. So much has already been written about the album, it's made its way on several "top of the ____" lists, the band breaks up, etc... It's like listening to Kid A before OK Computer or the bends... there's a very real excitement that comes with hearing an album upon its official release. It feels like it's yours and most importantly, you don't have somebody else's opinion affecting your own experience. But, when so much innovation and challenging music like this is on the table, who the hell cares?