The Dismemberment Plan

By Alisha Stamper

Heavy beats, jarring single notes, unexpected noises. Oh how I love thee.

Here's a little story:
I was going to see The Dismemberment Plan at the 9:30 Club in DC. At the time I was dating a good music hater (How? I KNOW.) He didn't want to go see them, said his brother liked bands like that (why wasn't I dating him?), and he didn't like them. I folded. We went rock-climbing. It was a sucky date, and our last, in fact.

UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME...

It was also the last concert they played, or so I had heard, and therefore always include whenever I talk about this band. I never saw them because of a stupid boy. NEVER again did I make the mistake of picking a boy over true, original and resonating music.

Emergency and I (1999)–the only album on the planet that gets me yelling along and singing along. I am not a "yell-along-er." Oh, but anything for YOU, The Dismemberment Plan. None of their songs sound the same. Each is individual and sparkles in its own way. They tell stories with their lyrics. I'm not normally a huge fan of that because I like my songs ambiguous. I like applying them to MY life, not completely experiencing someone else's life (that's why I read books). It is a fine art to create a story and have it be applicable to the listener, to make them change because of it. The Dismemberment Plan perfected this influence.

"You Are Invited" and "The City" are songs everyone should hear. The former will empower you to be yourself, and the later will mend your heart any time you are away from someone you love. It also was on EVERY cross-country drive mix I made the entire time I was in college.

"8 1/2 Minutes" runs through my head anytime I have a unpleasant confrontation. I think, "Did I realize that I was sorry and that I loved them?"

I have their other albums but haven't had the time to sit, read the lyrics and listen. They are band worth this extra processing time. One song does stand out without this devotional time. "The First Anniversary of Your Last Phone Call" from The Ice of Boston is un-freakin-believable. I love it. So give them a listen, you will NOT be disappointed.

---

Also in my D's are Death Cab for Cutie (could/would write an entire post about them, they are completely fantastic, and I've been with them from the beginning), The Doves (the last broadcast rocks my world all the time), Heather Duby (one beautiful song, the rest kinda ok), and Dance Hall Crashers (wow, they were definitely part of a phase).