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Dismemberment Plan - Emergency... |
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ALBUM REVIEWSPick of the Chick: Our Favorite Releases, 1999-Present |
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Emocore, also known as emo, hit the music scene in the mid-'80s. The genre combines deeply emotional lyrics with intricate and often heavy-sounding music. On Emergency & I, the Dismemberment Plan takes a novel approach to emo. This D.C. band combines the lyrical intensity of emo with the more melodic sounds of indie pop. The result is an album filled with catchy, intricate music that has a lyrical depth beyond most of today's indie pop. On tracks like "You Are Invited" and "Back and Forth," the melodies suck you in. "What Do You Want Me To Say?" could even pass for alterna-pop. But the turmoil that plays out in the lyrics tempers these sugary melodies. Emergency & I diverges from traditional emo in another important way. There's a glimmer of hope in many of these songs--an ingredient often missing in the brooding masochism of emo bands like Sunny Day Real Estate. On "Memory Machine," lead vocalist Travis Morrison sings, "Someday, I'm telling you they'll make a memory machine to wax our hearts to a blinding sheen--to wash away the grief." There's still plenty of emotional turmoil here, but there's also hope (even if it is delivered with a little sarcasm). On Emergency & I, the Dismemberment Plan succeeds in making emo more accessible and more listenable. And the band does it without sacrificing any of the emotional bite. Ultimately, they prove that emo is much easier to swallow when the reality pills are sugar-coated. PIGEONHOLE: Sugar-coated emo.
Andrew Helminger |
THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN
