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Dismemberment Plan – Dismembered but Still a Fine, Fine Band

I saw Dismemberment Plan with my buddy Jeff right before the Plan disbanded. I liked the concert, but it took a number of listens to their music to really get just how clever, fun, poetic and rockin’ they were. And by then they were no more. Their best album is, in my opinion, “Emergency & I” (The Dismemberment Plan). I like their first album, “!” (The Dismemberment Plan), — which is a far more “punk-ish” album, but “Emergency and I” balances energy and emo sensibilities with clever lyrics and complex structures. “Change” (The Dismemberment Plan) doesn’t seem to have as much energy as the previous ones, but has a couple of great songs, including the relentless “Time Bomb” and the fun “Ellen and Ben.”

YouTube has a live performance of their song “The Ice of Boston,” from their album “The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified” (The Dismemberment Plan), Not my favorite of their songs, it’s definitely in the top 10 and shows off a lot of the stylistic elements that remain consistent across the three albums. The lead singer, Travis Morrison, released a solo album called “Travistan” (Travis Morrison), that is decent but doesn’t quite match his work with The Plan. I am looking forward to hearing his new album with a band called the Hellfighters, due out in April of this year.

On this day..