Customer Reviews

Emergency & I

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Every once in a while, you come across a band so unique you become a missionary for their music. For a lot of people, including me, Dismemberment Plan is one of those bands.

Here's the drill. Believe the hype and stick with this CD; it takes several listens to get into it. Straight away, you'll be struck by a few songs, but overall the sound is so unusual, it can be off-putting. Don't give up-- albums like this continue to reveal something new each time you listen. Yes, it's a bit abstract, but there's a lot going on here. About half the songs are on the relatively accessible side-- pop music for a better, more creative world-- but the rest are dense, hyper-active and TENSE. There are loud-soft-loud passages, time and tempo changes, and out-of-tune keyboards furiously bleeping away, fronted by a singer who has a very appealing (if somewhat limited) voice. He comes across as sort of a sensitive spaz, joyously singing heart-breaking lyrics centered around some kind of a personal crisis (hence "Emergency & I").

What sealed the deal for me was seeing them live. You ever see a band that looks NOTHING like the picture in your head? This is 3 regular-looking slacker-dudes (probably college graduates) fronted by a dead-ringer for Hal Sparks from Talk Soup! You quickly realize this is his band, and this is his show. The singer has an awkward style, moves strangely, and just does not look like he should be fronting a rock band, let alone this one. Leaves you scratching your head wondering where in the heck his music comes from. However, he obviously feels an intense amount of joy when he performs these potentially awkward songs, which somehow makes it all work. I was just dumbfounded; this is one BRAVE guy. Trying to get all this complex, emotional, off-center stuff across to a room full of strangers, and just going for it as if their acceptance was never in doubt. Most bands like this are head-down, hair in face, barely acknowledging the audience. Not this guy, he's having the time of his life, as if all this weirdness is completely normal and right. It could all go horribly wrong at any moment, but in the end, you can't help rooting for him. There's a word for people like that-- genius!

I can't wait to see what they do next.

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.

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".

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.

This is by far one of the best albums I own, and I own mayn albums. Ever since I got Emergency I haven't stopped listening to it. All the bad reviews are valid, because if you don't like this style you probably will hate the cd, don't look for a single, or a pop ballad, this is the dismemberment plan. This album is beautiful in every sense of the word. Buy it.

i like this CD a lot. i downloaded it a few weeks ago, i know that i'm seriously behind the times. this is a band where the vocals make/break the experience for the listener. i've read a lot of the reviews here and they're pretty dichotomous: you either love or hate this album. the singer can be anywhere from coy to well... coy i guess. the lyrics all seem like they were delivered with a sort of smile and an unspoken request not to take them too seriously. i think that people CAN take music too seriously sometimes as well as art. i don't understand how someone could listen to a song that proclaims a lack of sex is going to lead to a nervous breakdown (girl o'clock) and still say the lyrics are "pretentious" and "poorly-written". musicians are people, they want to have fun, they have a sense of humor. this band is really unique, extremely fun and what can i say... i think we all know the Plan makes you want to open that car door in a freeway traffic jam and put some moves on the other gaping drivers.

i don't know what to compare this band to, i try not to bother with that. there's a lot of different elements in this from pop and punk, indie and even some jazz, grunge. but it's more of a well-crafted junk sculpture than a pile of dissonant crap. give it a spin, it's a really good CD.

So the guy that gave it a one star review, only had the album for two days. This record (like a lot of great records) is a slow grower, it takes repeated listens to really enjoy. I remember the first time i listened to lonesome crowded west by the mouse, I felt ill. I didn't have a place in my brain for the sounds i was hearing. This record is sort of like that, in that it is tough to understand on the first spin.
Anywho, Emergency and I is a great album. Just repeat to yourself, "I must listen to this record 9 times before formulating an opinion or i will get syphilis." and you will be fine

I bought this on the recommendation of some friends. On first listen I could see the potential, but thought it might take a few listens to grow on me.

Second listen I found myself getting into it. After the third listen I had to listen to it again: RIGHT AWAY! The musicians are all very accomplished, playing intertwining lines within the context of odd and shifting time signatures. This all sounds like Rush or something, but it's far more than an excercise in virtuosity. The songs all have real heart, yet without being schmaltzy.

Every time I listen to "The City" I get chills when, at the end of the song, Travis sings, "All... I... ever... say... now... is...good... byeeeeeeee!!!!" Oooh, chills now just hinking about it. And "What Do You Want Me To Say?" will stick in your head for days on end. I can't get enough.

This is one of the best discoveries I've made in a couple of years. If you're looking at this review, you obviously have interest. Buy it - now.

After thinking about it for a while, i realized something. The Dismemberment Plan is really the perfect band. They tried as hard as possible to stay away from the muck that is the major label music industry, yet they were pretty well known and easily accessible. They were one of those bands that someone would tell you about, and youd buy their cd, and you would never regret it. They give you the feeling that you discovered something wonderful, and in a way, it belongs to you.

This CD is all of that and more. They allow you to ease in to their crazy sound with some straightforward songs like "the city" and "a life of possibilities." Yet the true genius lies in the more experimental songs. Gyroscope uses a time signature that i am not even going to try and figure out. "The Other Side" has chaotic bass and drums, but it all works together to create an incredibly mellow feeling. "You Are Invited" is my favorite on this cd. Its just the singer and a drum machine for most of the song, and its really all you need. I really reccomend that everyone gives this cd a listen. Even if you dont like this "genre" of music, you will definitely appreciate it for what its worth.

I saw the Plan a few years back in Michigan and was puzzled. I picked up a comp they were on and was hooked. I got addicted and fiended for their new releases. And now -- wow. What a wait for this record. The anticipation was rewarded, though -- I wasn't sure how the Plan could outdo "Is Terrified," but I think they came pretty darn close with "Emergency and I." Songs like "A Life of Possibilities," "Spider in the Snow," and "The Jitters" are polished and fully-crafted epics, leaving tunes like "What Do You Want Me To Say?" and "Gyroscope" to pick up on where "Soon To Be Ex-Quaker" and "The Love War" left me shaking and dancing in front of my stereo. Lots more synth here, too, proving their mastery and leaving all other organ-toting bands quaking at the throne of the Plan. Listen, get hooked, and find out how badly Interscope screwed up by letting them go.