Not crap. Mostly great, waffles for a few fuckups, mostly lyrical and vocal - "The Jitters," "You Are Invited," "8.5 Minutes."

In retrospect, having seen what Travis Morrison has done solo, I like it less because I see the seeds of his shittiness.

Antero wrote:Not crap. Mostly great, waffles for a few fuckups, mostly lyrical and vocal - "The Jitters," "You Are Invited," "8.5 Minutes."

In retrospect, having seen what Travis Morrison has done solo, I like it less because I see the seeds of his shittiness.

Agreed.

I shant say more than that as I've known the DP guys for over ten years now and I still have much love for three of them.

However, this album does remind me of the point at which Travis Morrison's inflated ego was launched into the sky to circle the globe for all of eternity, and for that reason I have a difficult time enjoying it. Girl O'Clock is still one of my top three favourite DP songs ever, but I saw them play it live years before this album was released and do not associate that song with "E&I."

Honestly, I would have been fine if this album hadn't been released. It's not bad but it is responsible for the dissolution of the band in a number of levels. Actually, I guess I'd describe it as being an unintentional documentary of the band's downfall.

Not Crap!

I liked this album a lot when it came out, but I find it harder and harder to find out why. 'Girl o'Clock' was its saving grace for me, and I don't even like it that much anymore.
'you are invited' is one of the worst songs I've ever heard. I'm not exaggerating.
Crap, wf 6

"The Jitters" sucks but my wife digs "You Are Invited" for some reason. As time goes by, I have a more and more difficult time tolerating Travis Morrison's vocals. However, "A Life of Possibilities" is genius, "Girl O'Clock", "What Do You Want Me to Say" and "Gyroscope" are great and "I Love a Magician" and "Spider in the Snow" are at least listenable.

"Back and Forth" and "The City" are both shit however. "Change" is a better album.

Rank:

The City
Girl O' Clock
The Jitters
Memory Machine
Spider in the Snow
I Love a Magician
8.5 Minutes
What Do You Want Me To Say
Gyroscope
A Life of Possibilities
You Are Invited
Back and Forth

The only song I don't really listen to is Back and Forth.

Sometimes I actually listen to You Are Invited, despite how ridiculous it is.

hamburglarized wrote:However, "A Life of Possibilities" is genius

Yes

"Girl O'Clock", "What Do You Want Me to Say" and "Gyroscope" are great and "I Love a Magician" and "Spider in the Snow" are at least listenable.

Yes

"The City"

You are totally wrong about that one. That synth riff, that jangley guitar, that breakbeat. It's slightly marred by the delivery - that nasal thing isn't the best fit.

I think I'll agree that Change is a better album. "Superpowers" is my favorite Dismemberment Plan song by a good margin.

Antero wrote:

"The City"

You are totally wrong about that one.

The chorus never sounded right to me. "...since you've been goooone..." Yikes. I like everything else, esp the shuffle beat. I remixed it when they posted the original and got rid of Morrison in the chorus. Much better.

I totally agree about "Superpowers" but I give the edge to "Face of the Earth" for THIS part...

"There wasn't any wind, No noise, No nothing just a body jerked skyward, limbs
flailing like an unloved marionette, At impossible speed, Receding away like a
far away dot...I can see her still, scream for help but no one answered... She
turned end on end like a long lost astronaut, I felt the summer air reclaim me,
the chirp of a bird, the whisper of leaves, And I was frozen... To the face of
the earth "