Alternating between angst and cool melody, the Dismemberment Plan was one of the shining examples of the strength of the emo (emotional hardcore) genre. Hailing from Washington, DC, USA, the band was formed on New Year's Day 1993 by Joe Easley (drums), Travis Morrison (b. 1972, USA; vocals/guitar), Jason Caddell (guitar), and Eric Axelson (bass) - the latter three of which also split keyboard duties. The band's first release was the four-track single, "Can We Be Mature?", during spring 1994. The quartet signed to the indie label DeSoto soon after, resulting in the release of their debut, !, in 1995. The album was more punk-based than any of their subsequent efforts, but still did a fine job of introducing the band to the then-burgeoning emo scene.
Their follow-up, Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified, came in 1997 before the quartet discovered bands such as Talking Heads, and let funky, quirky sounds filter into their style. This became especially evident on their next two more stylistically varied albums, 1999's Emergency & I (during which time the band opened up a string of European dates for newly anointed fans Pearl Jam) and especially 2001's Change. The latter proved to be the band's swansong, with lead singer Travis Morrison subsequently embarking on a solo career.
