TJ Matzen vs The Dismemberment Plan

I only met TJ Matzen this week, but since he is both a blogger and a big Dismemberment Plan fan I knew I had to ask him to cover the famed indie rock band. TJ writes for the fresh Playground Misnomer, a site well worth perusing. Check it!

"I was introduced to Dismemberment Plan in 2007 with their fourth album, Changes. Immediately I was struck by their untampered sound and immediately I’d wished I’d been of college-age in the late 90’s so I wouldn’t have missed the chance to see them tour. They were up in my top 3 no-longer-touring acts that I was most distressed I’d never see, along with Jeff Buckley and DFA1979.

1. “Superpowers” – Changes

"What I didn’t realize then was that Changes really was appropriately named, as it was entirely different from their first three albums. D-Plan’s stuff was weird. It was unlike anything I’d ever heard. And it was good. I was impressed with how Travis Morrison could be so skilled with the inflections in his voice without having what some people might say is a good voice. He and guitarist Jason Caddell were super talented at using dissonance at just the right moments..

2. “Academy Award” – The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified

"I think I purchased Emergency & I third out of the four albums, and it quickly became one of my favorite albums of all-time. Morrison takes on the role of clinically-depressed comedian, which I think many of us have felt like at times. It’s an album so relatable and so perfectly summative of early-20s life. I get frustrated with Pitchfork a lot, but their 10.0 of the reissue of this album felt like a slice of justice.

3. “What Do You Want Me to Say?” – Emergency & I

"Last year, I heard D-Plan was reuniting for a tour and immediately made up my mind that one way or another I was going to get to a show. I found out days after they sold out that they were playing two shows in Chicago. I immediately took to eBay and bought tickets from some schmuck who clearly knew the value of the show and jumped on as many tickets as he could. I didn’t care that I was funding some idiot, I was going to see one of my favorite bands of all-time. Their shows are unsurprisingly energetic and personal, like their songs. Without fail, every show they play “The Ice of Boston” where everyone gets to run on stage. I asked the security guard at the beginning of the encore if that was the plan and let him know that the second he gave me the nod I’d be tearing up there. Notice the loser in the striped jacket next to Travis… Also, at the beginning the band berates this annoying girl that was yelling out the name of a song and sings a portion of Biz Markie’s 'Just a Friend'"

4. “The Ice of Boston” – The Dismemberment Plan is Terrified