Search - Dismemberment Plan :: Emergency & I

If there was only a six-star rating...

aclboston | Roslindale, MA United States | 03/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Okay. I'd heard about the Plan. I read the reviews, and reacted with more than just a little skepticism when many hailed this record as nothing less than the start of a new era in rock (that's basically a quote from one professional reviewer). Despite the skepticism, I had to hear it, so I ordered it. Turns out it arrived on the same day as the new Smashing Pumpkins record that I'd been witing for for months. The Pumpkins are one of my absolute favorite bands. I love their work. But this album blew the Pumpkins out of the water yesterday. I have never heard anything like it. It is eating my head. I've become, in the last 24 hours, an absolute missionary for the Dismemberment Plan. I have e-mailed ALL of my musically oriented friends and ordered them under pain of death to buy this CD. You should too. It's too brilliant to be allowed to slip into obscurity. If you don't believe me, you can listen to the ENTIRE album on Real Audio at the band's website and I suggest that you do. I'm done ranting now."

Shattered Pop

christophercabin | Albany, New York | 04/08/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"after all the britney spears and Smash Mouth's of the world have defiled, pop has become an awful world. Catchy, Inventive rock(Weezer,Nirvana,Green Day) once occupied that terms definition even if they were seperated into genres like alternative or punk, they were still pop. The Dismemberment Plan live under a set of rules that bands like Radiohead and The Pixies have been doing since the early 80's, taking pop, ripping it up and taping it up in the wrong places. Melodies and hooks that come from out in space and deep down in the ground and hit you without a hint. "Emergency and I" is an event. Something incredibly rare and amazing. Forget for a second that their misguided first album entitled "!" was a bunch of angry punk songs that shouldn't have happened in the first place. This album takes catchiness and pop rock to a level never imagined before. "A Life of Possibilities" opens the album with a swagger like a drunk with a limbo guitar hook that interrupts singer/guitarist Travis Morrison's ramblings that go on and on with not a hint of wanting to stop. The jauntiness that fuels the amazing "Girl O'Clock" lets the narrator actually voice how he feels about not having anyone to have sex with or even to kiss. The breathtaking "The Jitters" allows Morrison to show the true meaning of heartbreak and loneliness. Urgency powers the never stopping energy of "8 1/2 Minutes" and "I Love a Magician" that moves like a cheetah through Jason Caddell's guitar and Eric Axelson's bass while Travis' chameleon of a voice slithers in and out. "The City","What do you want me to say?" and "Gyroscope" are radio friendly rockers that never stop for a breath and let the word predictable go down in flames. "Spider in the Snow" and "You are Invited" lay back in the relaxing slumber of a Sunday afternoon and let the memory stir and smile. "Memory Machine" jumps with a sharpness that never lets you see what's coming around the next corner. The amazing closer "Back and Forth" creates a funky bow to tie up tha album under Axelson's amazing bass work and Joe Easley's impressive druming that never lets down the entire album. Under all the creativity and all the beauty the album is a pop masterpiece that screams for the days when pop was something to be proud of. Dismemberment Plan are a band that are waiting for the same praise that Radiohead have, truly inventive and beautiful. This is why music lives, this is why music fans listen, for something like "Emergency and I"."

Outstanding, addicting, and intelligent.

Lord Chimp | Monkey World | 12/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like crack, it keeps you coming back for more; otherwise you experience an unpleasant withdrawal. _Emergency & I_ is irresistible indie eclecticism inflected with a pop sensibility for a package that's catchy and diverse enough to hook you, with super-tight chops, reams of lyrical cleverness, and instrumental intricacies to entrance you for months afterwards. Not to mention they make some of the most effective euse of synths in rock. I've found it very difficult to get this one out of my CD player...just when I think it's starting to lose its luster, I return to it and get hooked all over again.Compared to _The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified_, this is a considerably less wild n' crazy n' noisy album. There are still some pretty wacky tracks though: the brilliantly catchy and atonal rock of "Memory Machine", the mad rhythm-and-vocal freakout of "Girl O'Clock", and the short, dissonant and weird "I (love) a magician". The more 'normal' tracks (which are still brilliantly written and clever) adopt the band's intelligent use of synths and limitless supply of hooks. There's "You are Invited" is a charming anthem about self-acceptance, delivered with a cheesy synth-drum beat and vocal narrative. "The City" is also great, shuffling on its glistening high-hat beat and huge synth hook. "Gyroscope" is fiendishly catchy, with a snappy syncopated drum beat and a wicked hook in the chorus. "A Life of Possibilities" opens with clomping bass line and dynamic vocals, then goes to a chirping guitar line in the instrumental chorus. The song builds through its sections, always returning to its delicious main hook at the opportune moments, until the anthemic power-chord finale. The sorta-ballad "The Jitters" is a melancholic, languid piece that makes you feel all weird, especially if you read along to the lyrics.This is very highly recommended to all sorts. The Dismemberment Plan's electicism and sterling songcraft is a rare thing in this world. I find it hard to imagine people not liking this band. Oh, and the pictures in the liner notes are CRAZY. Yeah, go buy it."