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The Dismemberment Plan
Me rock is me Art

 by Marvin Lin

Everyone's favorite post-punk heroes Dismemberment Plan has given us the
pleasure of conducting an interview via E-mail. They are currently on tour right now
after having completed the recording phase for their forthcoming album with producer
J.Robbins. They are looking to return to the studio to finish mixing the album with
Chad Clark on April 9th. Lead singer Travis Morrison has kindly devoted some time
to enlighten us on all aspects of their forthcoming release in the fall. 

** this interview is also found at Nude As the News

NATN: Well, it looks as though the forthcoming album is nearly completed
...how does the album feel to you guys so far? 
Travis: I simply don't have the perspective on that yet. It's getting there, and I think
we did a good job. I HATED Emergency and I after we finished it! So I try to
withhold comment. 

NATN: Wow, I can't believe you could actually HATE Emergency and I. Do
you like it any better since it has had time to breathe? 
Travis: Sure. I think it's great. I think we did some really nice work on that record
and wrote some great songs. 

NATN: Is there a title for the forthcoming album or an expected release date, 
yet? 
Travis: "Change." it comes out October 9. 

NATN: It seems as though you guys really have a handle on the studio situation
-- it only took a week for you guys to complete the recording phase of the
album, which is quite an accomplishment. So are most of the songs planned out
before entering the studio? 
Travis: This time, yes. Very much so. The arrangements are pretty sophisticated so
we couldn't fake our way through these songs. 

NATN: Was the approach in songwriting different from that of Emergency and
I? 
Travis: Not really. We just kind of go down in the basement and make a racket. 

NATN: Do the lyrics or music usually come first? 
Travis: Depends. Varies wildly. Usually, I have some lyrics, they got some music,
and we just wait to see what matches up. 

NATN: I notice that many of the songs are narrative... 
Travis: I just like stories. I mean, country and blues are story-based and a lot of
those folks aren't learned... I generally sit back during mixing and try to divine some
kind of common thread to the lyrics. As far as I can tell, they're about growing up and
acceptance. 

"It strikes me that so much music these days is numbingly ADDish and the hook is hyper- delineated and in your face, and we've done that"

NATN: I have always appreciated the odd time signatures on the previous
albums. Do they still make an appearance on the new album? 
Travis: Yeah, although they're more subtle. They don't scream "hey, we're changing
time signatures" anymore. 

NATN: There is as an obvious progression since the "exclamation album" to
"Emergency and I". .. how would you describe the sound of the forthcoming
album? 
Travis: Specifics? Well, it's all pretty sophisticated, and very musical. We really don't
spaz out once on this album. We shall spaz again, I'm sure, but for now it's very tuneful
and colorful. 

NATN: Should we expect something different in the structure of the songs? 
Travis: Yeah. More subtlety. This is exactly what we're trying to do. Not to make
undramatic, punchless music, but we'd excelled at the Weezer/Pixies/Nirvana song
structure for quite a long time and it seemed time to explore song structures that didn't
really have a payoff. It strikes me that so much music these days is numbingly ADDish
and the hook is hyper-delineated and in your face, and we've done that and we
thought we would make a record of trailing thoughts and ellipses and see what we all
(band and fans) think of it. 

NATN: When you guys begin touring in support of a new album, how does the
band go about choosing songs to play off the older albums? Are there any
bands imparticular that you enjoy touring with and may want to tour with in the
future? 
Travis: Eh... we don't do setlists. Whatever songs come up, come up. 
Well, we'd love to hit the road with Death Cab For Cutie, who we think are brilliant.
Fun is always had with the Alkaline Trio, Hey Mercedes, Har Mar Superstar, and all
of our midwest types, and then we also love to tour with DC people. 

NATN: A Death Cab for Cutie/Dismemberment Plan tour would be amazing! It would be really interesting to see the contrasting styles on one stage. I hear DCFC are recording soon and are planning an October release, also. Have you talked to them about conquering the world together in October? 
Travis: Yes. We're going to let them do the work, and then we shall help them reap
the spoils. 

NATN: How was opening for Pearl Jam back in the day? 
Travis: Great. They took us to Europe. I saw beautiful cities, watched a great band
every night, ate amazing food. It was heavenly. 

NATN: You recently played part of "Hunter" and part of "All is Full of Love"
at the WI show. Are you guys big Bjork fans? 
Travis: She's the best. I want to be Bjork. 

NATN: You guys sound like Talking Heads on Robitussin. Are they a big
influence on you guys? 
Travis: Oh, yeah. They were my original favorite band when I was 10. "Burning
Down The House" was like a signal from my home planet. 

NATN: I've heard you are into graphic arts. What kind of art do you do? Will
we get a chance to maybe see some of your art on the forthcoming album
sleeve? 
Travis: None, these days. Me rock is me art. I did it to pay the bills, and yeah, I'm
doing the art this time around. I think it's going to be pretty hot, if you ask me. 

NATN: What's the story behind the amazing art on Emergency and I? 
Travis: Who fucking knows. What a trial that was. I drew the first panel during some
downtime in Hoboken while recording "E&I." Then I got the idea to have some
mystifying, futuristic cartoon strip be the album art, forgetting that while I can execute
any graphic idea if given enough time, I couldn't just peel off twenty of those because I
don't exactly have visual-arts skills to burn. It took me forever. I love it now, but you
know, a lot of people think it's very ugly. 

NATN: J.Robbins (producer) did amazing things to Emergency and I, how was 
working with him again? Does he have a lot of input on the type of sound you
guys want or maybe with the actual songwriting process? 
Travis: He'll have suggestions, but the greatest thing about him is to have someone
around that can advise on performances so you can shut your mind off and just let the
subconscious do its thing. He pays very, very close attention, and you can trust him to
push you when you need to be pushed and pulled back when you need that, too. 

NATN: Do you guys worry much about the public's response to the new album?
Travis: Nah. It's like any conversation with anyone--you may catch a groove and
seamlessly move from topic to topic, or you may throw in some weird non-sequitur
that breaks the rhythm, or you may just run out of things to say to one another. We're
definitely changing the topic, but I suspect that the people that like us will find it
interesting. And if not, hey, we don't all shoot ourselves in the head when the
conversation peters out. We just talk again later.
 

Visit their website at http://www.dismembermentplan.com
all pictures are from the same site