The Dismemberment Plan’s third album saw indie rock’s slack nonchalance give way to panic-attack anxiety. The band’s post-hardcore guitar clang gets tangled up in buzzing synths, disco-punk twitches and Travis Morrison’s rapid-fire absurdist rants. Even openly anthemic statements like “What Do You Want Me to Say?” are shocked with needling noise. But, far removed from its point of origin, Emergency & I remains a timeless manifestation of the urban young-adult experience, an album that makes you feel both vulnerable and invincible.
