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expanded with info from the 2011 reissue liner notes and additional articles (the discogs source added contains low-resolution pictures of the liner notes, this discogs page is also linked on the musicbrainz entry for the 2011 reissue: https://musicbrainz.org/release/d2b0bd70-5e81-4dc0-9330-76d19ed59d80 ; i also own a copy of the reissue and can verify all of the added information beyond the low-res pictures) Tag: Disambiguation links added |
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| released = October 26, 1999
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| studio = {{ubl|Water Music Studios, [[Hoboken, New Jersey]], [[Inner Ear Studios]], [[Arlington, Virginia]]}}
| genre = {{flatlist|
* [[Art punk]]<ref name="popmatters"/>
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'''''Emergency & I''''' is the third studio album by American [[indie rock]] band [[The Dismemberment Plan]], released in 1999 by [[DeSoto Records]]. It was produced by [[J. Robbins]] and Chad Clark, and primarily recorded at Water Music Studios in 1998, with additional recordings done at Inner Ear Studios. At its release, the album was met with critical acclaim, receiving praise for its instrumental performances and lyrics.
Initially released on CD, [[Barsuk Records]] reissued ''Emergency & I'' in [[phonograph record|vinyl]] format for the first time on January 11, 2011 where it received further praise from critics and listeners, with many calling it a landmark indie rock album and the band's best release.
==Background==
After a press photoshoot for the band's second album ''[[The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified]]'', the band decided that they wanted to sound "less wacky" on their third album, feeling like their sound had been gradually settling down. According to bassist Eric Axelson, the album was written across seven different rehearsal spaces, and the band attempted to individually write their parts like it sounded it came from a group. He noted that Morrison "had a knack" of matching his ideas with other ideas the group developed separately, with one notable example being the chorus to "Back and Forth", which he came up with while going to work one morning not knowing what it would sound like as a song, and then going to rehearsal later that night and finding Axelson and drummer Joe Easley playing what would be the instrumental to the song. Another example, "Spider in the Snow", involved Axelson and Easley performing their final riffs and drum parts for the song "in straight-four, like a [[Motown]] thing", until Morrison suggested they "cut a beat off the end of the phrase", resulting in the final song.<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/>
Of the other songs worked on in this period, "I Love a Magician" was quickly written in and heavily influenced by the surroundings of one rehearsal space, the basement of an office building in [[Falls Church, Virginia]]. According to Morrison: "The ceiling was like five and a half feet off the ground. I'm not sure we were supposed to be there at all. Security guards were staring at us as we wheeled in our amps. I remember Jason [Caddell] howling away with this new distortion pedal. We wrote the song around that sound, pretty much." "Memory Machine" was the first of several songs on the album that made use of an [[E-mu Systems|E-mu]] sampler, specifically making use of an "ambient noise" from an unknown song by [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]].<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/>
In May 1997, [[Nigel Harrison]], the former bassist for [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]] and at the time an A&R executive for [[Interscope Records]], attended a Dismemberment Plan concert in [[Allentown, Pennsylvania]] and eventually arranged a meeting with Interscope CEO [[Jimmy Iovine]] to discuss a record deal. The band's publicist, [[Jessica Hopper]], was against the idea of the band signing to a major label, citing the recent death of [[Brainiac (band)|Brainiac]] lead singer Tim Taylor as they were preparing to record an album for Interscope and that the label's A&R department would have been looking for a similar band to match the "quirky art-punk-dance" bands on competing labels. However, The Dismemberment Plan were more intrigued by the idea as they felt they did not fit in with other indie bands at the time and could release adventurous music under Interscope.<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/>
An early version of "What Do You Want Me to Say?" was recorded by producer J. Robbins and released as a 7-inch vinyl single backed with the song "Since You Died" in November 1997, acting as their last release for DeSoto Records before signing to the new label.<ref>{{MusicBrainz release |mbid=e539906f-fe1d-4e3b-831b-8326ff4442e2 |name=What Do You Want Me to Say? / Since You Died}}</ref> Robbins noted that "The City", influenced by the band [[Soul Coughing]], first started being written roughly two days prior to the sessions, and a portion of an early version was captured on the master tapes to the single.<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/>
==Recording==
In 1998,
Unlike [[Inner Ear Studios]], the smaller recording studio in [[Arlington, Virginia]] the band used for ''[[! (album)|!]]'' and ''The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified'' where they had to rush through albums on a budget, Water Music was a more expansive studio with its own five/six-bedroom apartment above the studio. The band had more money, time, space, and resources to work on the album in the complex, which Morrison likened to a college dormitory. Easley praised the acoustics of the wooden main recording room at Water Music, calling it "the one room I ever got to record in that was awesome for drums."<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/>
The album's producers J. Robbins and Chad Clark were described as being very opinionated about what they each wanted for the album, with Caddell describing the relationship between themselves and the band as "the passive aggressive Olympics at the beginning". Robbins kept the band in check playing at correct tempos and maintaining the recording equipment, while Clark took a [[Brian Eno]]-like role of finding ways to pursue "a wide-screen feel, pushing things far out and using the studio as an instrument", allowing the band to experiment with different keyboard sounds and amplifiers. The group had a minor conflict with Water Music's owner and head engineer Rob Grenoble, who persistently kept nudging up the treble during the mixing process for unknown reasons until they scolded him for it.<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/>
Some songs went through different stages during recording. Clark suggested that "Spider in the Snow" should use real [[String instrument|strings]] or a [[Mellotron]] for its keyboard section to express the newer scope of tools and textures they had available at the studio.<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/> However, [[Travis Morrison]] thought that using strings was "too fancy" and they decided to stick with the original [[Casio]] keyboard sound they used for live performances. Clark also originally did not want "You Are Invited" to be on ''Emergency & I'', finding the song too sentimental. "What Do You Want Me to Say?" was originally going to have [[phonograph|turntable]] [[scratching]], but the plan was scrapped because Clark thought using samples on that song was [[kitsch]].<ref name="wp2011"/> Axelson recalled that during the 1997 single's sessions, Morrison wanted to record the song without any guitars and use only keyboards and bass guitar, but this was rejected by the rest of the band.<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/> Robbins also recalled that midway through recording vocals for the album version of the song, Morrison's girlfriend called him to break up with him over the phone. This upset Morrison to the point where he lost composure and broke down crying in the middle of the recording, which Robbins referred to as "a microcosm of the record".<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/>
When the band's scheduled time at Water Music ended, the band returned to Inner Ear to make additional recordings and create the album's final mix. The album was mixed to half-inch analog tape and mastered by engineer Alan Douches. Robbins and Caddell remembered there was tension during this time as the band and producers all had their own particular preferences for the album's mixing, resulting in some songs having eight different mixes before a final cut was chosen. During this process, Morrison claimed that he had a [[panic attack]] and had to be driven to a hospital by Axelson. In retrospect, he called the incident "embarrassing", as his sister (a nurse) after reading his [[electrocardiography|electrocardiogram]] commented "If you were having a panic attack, you were really calm!"<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/>
The cover art and three other pieces adorning the album's packaging were drawn digitally by Morrison on a [[personal computer]] at Water Music in the downtime between recording sessions. He claimed he was "just doodling" with no concept in mind when designing the artwork, and that other people in the studio had nonplussed or averse reactions to it.<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/>
==Lyrical themes==
''[[PopMatters]]''{{'}} Zachary Houle noted that the album had themes of growing pains experienced by people in their 20s.<ref name="popmatters"/> Jeremy D. Larson of ''[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]'' noted the influence of [[Stephen Malkmus]] on the album's lyrics.<ref name="consequence"/> Paul Thompson of ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' related the album title to the encroaching chaos of modern life with the self.<ref name="pitchfork2011"/> Morrison stated in 2011 that the lyrics were inspired by the birth of his young sister's child and the death of his father, both of which happened in quick succession, which he felt was a breakthrough into covering more personal "basic life" themes in his lyrics that he frustratingly did not know how to write in the past. Clark felt the death of Morrison's father loomed over the album "in a way that I think gave it a gravity."<ref name= "2011 reissue liner notes">{{Cite AV media notes |title=Emergency & I ''2011 reissue liner notes'' |last=Modell |first=Josh |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/2645892-The-Dismemberment-Plan-Emergency-I |date=11 January 2011 |access-date=3 January 2024 |publisher=[[Barsuk Records]] |id=BARK103LP}}</ref>
With regards to individual songs, the track "Back and Forth" is based on [[Bob Dylan]]'s "[[It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/133118250 |title=The Dismemberment Plan: Back In Business |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=January 23, 2011 |access-date=December 23, 2011 |last=Hansen |first=Liane |author-link=Liane Hansen}}</ref> "You Are Invited", a song about an anonymous invitation that comes through the mail, deals with belonging and selflessness.<ref name="consequence"/> "The City" deals with Morrison's loneliness living in a city, his longing for a [[wanderlust]] lover, and his inability to leave the city without abandoning everything that makes him who he is.<ref name="pitchforktop200tracks"/> Zachary Houle argued that songs such as "Memory Machine" and "What Do You Want Me to Say?" deal with themes of disconnectedness in the [[information age]], including predicting the [[social media]] phenomenon that would be prominent in the following decade.<ref name="popmatters"/> The lyrics to "The Jitters" were originally written inside a copy of [[Charles Shaar Murray]]'s musical biography on [[Jimi Hendrix]], ''Crosstown Traffic: Jimi Hendrix & The Post-War Rock n' Roll Revolution'', that Morrison had borrowed from
Morrison claimed to have first thought of the album's title after returning to [[Washington, D.C.]] from the recording sessions on July 16, 1998, during a [[Shudder to Think]] concert at the [[Black Cat (Washington, D.C. nightclub)|Black Cat]] nightclub, but he did not know what the title meant.<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=October 28, 2023 |title=Shudder to Think Concert Setlist at Black Cat, Washington, DC, USA on July 16, 1998 |url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/shudder-to-think/1998/black-cat-washington-dc-7ba0f6b8.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103154014/https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/shudder-to-think/1998/black-cat-washington-dc-7ba0f6b8.html |archive-date=January 3, 2024 |access-date=January 3, 2024 |website=setlist.fm}}</ref>
==Release==
According to Caddell, a few months after recording for the album wrapped up in 1998, Kim Coletta, the co-owner of DeSoto Records who was still managing the band after signing to Interscope, had suddenly lost all contact with the major label. <ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/> Earlier in the year, multinational conglomerate [[Seagram]], the owner of [[Universal Music Group]], purchased the entertainment company [[PolyGram]] for its music division, leading to the start of several rounds of label restructuring.<ref name="Seagram PolyGram purchase>{{Cite web |date=May 21, 1998 |title=Seagram buys PolyGram |url=https://money.cnn.com/1998/05/21/deals/tropicana/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401181145/https://money.cnn.com/1998/05/21/deals/tropicana/ |archive-date=April 1, 2019 |access-date=January 3, 2024 |website=CNN}}</ref> In early 1999, they decided to merge [[Geffen Records]] and the recently acquired [[A&M Records]] into Interscope, leading Universal to announce that they would cut numerous artists from Interscope.<ref name="wp1999"/><ref name="Geffen-A&M merger">{{Cite web |last1=Hilburn |first1=Robert |last2=Boucher |first2=Geoff |last3=Philips |first3=Chuck |date=January 22, 1999 |title=A & M Records Closes; Geffen Lays Off 110 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jan-22-mn-524-story.html |access-date=January 3, 2024 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
When [[Geffen Records]] and [[A&M Records]] merged into Interscope in 1999, [[Universal Music Group]] announced that they would cut numerous artists from Interscope.<ref name="wp1999"/> The Dismemberment Plan were one of the artists affected by the cut. In turn, the band decided to release ''Emergency & I'' on their former label [[DeSoto Records]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.timmcmahan.com/dismembermentplan.htm |title=After the Ice of Interscope |newspaper=Omaha Weekly |date=March 9, 2000 |access-date=June 15, 2011 |last=McMahan |first=Tim}}</ref>▼
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Morrison recalled not feeling proud of the album until he heard two songs from it played on college radio stations while the band was on tour, and when fans started telling him they downloaded the album off of [[Napster]].<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes"/>
===Tour===
Throughout the remainder of 1999 and 2000, The Dismemberment Plan toured the album with various acts including [[The Promise Ring]], [[Juno (band)|Juno]], [[Alkaline Trio]], and [[Discount (band)|Discount]]. The band would see relatively small crowds of roughly 75-200 people, until the band received an email offering to tour with [[Pearl Jam]] in Europe. The band's first show on the European tour saw them with the biggest crowds of their career, with 15,000 in attendance at their first tour stop in Prague. The band looked back fondly on the European tour, with Morrison calling it the most fun he had as a touring musician.<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes/>
The album's tour marked the start of a recurring tradition at the band's live shows where audience members would get on stage during "The Ice of Boston" (the only single from ''The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified'') and perform a step dance mimicking the backing singers in [[Gladys Knight and the Pips]], who were mentioned in the song's lyrics, before devolving into jumping and moshing.<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes/>
===2011 reissue===
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The album's 2011 vinyl reissue brought about numerous positive reviews as well. Zachary Houle of ''[[PopMatters]]'' wrote that "Just in terms of a sheer personal enjoyment factor, I would almost argue the case for a new rating: the [[This Is Spinal Tap|Spinal Tap]]-esque [[Up to eleven|11]]. ''Emergency & I'' is just a relentless record, full of youthful abandon and insightful penetrations into the technology-addled brain. I just can't get enough of it."<ref name="popmatters"/> In another review of the reissue, ''[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]''{{'}}s Jeremy D. Larson wrote: "The Plan colors this record with 12 songs that serve as hitching posts for whatever ails you. Life medicine never sounded better ... ''Emergency & I'' continues to arch its influence even after a 12-year gap."<ref name="consequence"/> ''Pitchfork'' gave the reissue a perfect 10/10 with a "best new reissue" designation,"<ref name="pitchfork2011"/> while Sputnikmusic's Alex Robertson rated the album "classic" with a perfect 5.0.<ref name=sputnik>{{cite web |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/32450/The-Dismemberment-Plan-Emergency--I/ |title=The Dismemberment Plan – Emergency & I |publisher=Sputnikmusic |date=September 17, 2009 |access-date=October 9, 2013 |last=Robertson |first=Alex}}</ref> The album was ranked at number 26 on ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''{{'}}s "The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985–2014)" list.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.spin.com/2015/05/the-300-best-albums-of-the-past-30-years-1985-2014/5/ |title=The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985–2014) |website=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |date=May 11, 2015 |access-date=August 6, 2015 |page=5}}</ref>
In the reissue's liner notes, [[Ben Gibbard]], the frontman of [[Death Cab for Cutie]] who toured with The Dismemberment Plan following the release of their fourth studio album ''[[Change (The Dismemberment Plan album)|Change]]'', praised ''Emergency & I'' and called it one of the albums that "helps make the yearbook of my band. And even though the record has this scholarly element, the songs still translate with very base human emotions, like love and loss and finding one's place in the world." Robbins called it one of the best albums he ever worked on, and Morrison said he was "proud of how honest it is and how unusual ''Emergency & l'' is, and how hard the four of us worked on it. I guess that's all that matters for me. If no one ever got into it, I'd still be as proud of the record. I'm proud of having done it as honestly and diligently as we could have. That it's touched some people is awesome. We got very lucky."<ref name="2011 reissue liner notes/>
==Track listing==
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|title11= {{frac|8|1|2}} Minutes
|length11= 2:57
|title12 = Back and Forth
|length12= 5:07
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