The Dismemberment Plan at first glimpse take elements the most annoying bands ever, like XTC, Shudder To Think, and Soul Coughing, and make something much more appealing. They’re a difficult listen at first, but by the the third track’s (“What Do You Want Me To Say?”) soaring choruses and crashing Mission Of Burma chords, I’m turning it up louder and louder. More appealing influences come to mind as the album plays on — the early skeletal funk of the Talking Heads and the Minutemen, and 70s prog time signatures tempered by Wire-like simplicity. If Devo would have stopped devolving and become a majestically loud post-punk band, they might have written a breakup song as powerful as “The City.” Just kidding. Only The Dismemberment Plan could have written that song, because it becomes clear that they often sound like no one else. They are a group of musician’s musicians, with a flair for melodic, original songwriting. The Dismemberment Plan have been kicking around since 1994, and have finally arrived.
