The anticipation for the new Dismemberment Plan has been immense, and for good reason. 1999’s Emergency & I was a thrilling reinvention of indie rock, incorporating jagged post-punk rhythms, skittering new-wave funk, soaring melodies and smart, moving lyrics. It was difficult to guess which direction they would go, as their potential seemed limitless. Change displays a very self-conscious awareness of a great band’s abilities, and a desire to make a major statement. Indeed, the promotional materials boldly evoke career-defining albums as D’Angelo’s Voodoo, The Talking Heads’ Remain In Light and Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On.
Change falls slightly short of such illustrious company. One problem is Travis Morrison’s voice. “There are times when you will not like the sound of my voice,” he sings on “The Other Side.” On the previous album, the shortcomings of Morrison’s odd, weedy voice is more than compensated for with quirky, youthful energy. Now The Dismemberment Plan’s mid-tempo songs focus on his voice, which sometimes sounds like Shudder To Think, a fellow DC band that failed to overcome their particular quirks. At its worst, The Plan sounds ordinary, with production so mainstream that certain moments could pass for Dave Matthews Band. Simmering underneath the restrained mix is, along with Fugazi, one of the most agile rhythm sections in rock today. What could have been a complete snore, “Superpowers” is redeemed by an entrancing weave of compellingly complex bass and drums. “Pay For The Piano” recalls The Plan’s spikier days, but fails to match anything from Emergency & I. “Come Home” peaks with a nice ringing wall of guitar noise reminiscent of Mission Of Burma.
By “Secret Curse,” things are really looking up, a hectic, harried paen to anxiety and paranoia, words stumbling over each other to get out as if chased by demons. “Following Through” is pleasantly jangly, as good as anything by The Sea And Cake. But it’s the last three songs that finally demonstrate the creative heights The Dismemberment Plan are capable of. “Time Bomb” hits hard with perfectly realized poetic imagery — “I am a tripwire and I’m stretching across the road you’re traveling down tonight/the thinnest twine, waiting to be released right beyond your sight.” The dread induced by the minor key is utterly appropriate. “The Other Side” is an incredibly frenetic drum ‘n’ bass with equally affecting lyrics. “Ellen and Ben” resembles the toy video game bleeps-turned-loping-sex-beats of Cornershop’s dancey side project Clinton. The song is destined to become a show-closing anthem, with the band surpassing the recorded original with a frenzied beat-crazy climax. The brilliant songs are a stark contrast to the less inspired early half. In the band’s eagerness for change, they nearly left behind what made them so great to begin with. Fortunately, half the album proves The Plan are still in it, assuring that they are unquestionably one of the top current rock bands creating and performing lasting, visionary music today.
