Aside from a brief interlude in 1998 and 1999 when they were signed by major label Interscope Records, the band recorded for local label DeSoto Records. Their third record and breakthrough album, Emergency & I, was actually created during their time at Interscope; however, they were dropped from the label shortly after its completion, and thus took it back with them to DeSoto, where it wound up being released. The Ice of Boston EP is the only item of theirs Interscope actually released during their tenure there.
Following the massive underground success of Emergency & I, the band received an even higher profile after being invited to open for the European leg of Pearl Jam's 2000 tour. The band recorded and released a follow-up to Emergency & I, Change, in 2001 using the severance money they received from Interscope, and a subsequent co-headlining tour in 2002 with Death Cab for Cutie (cheekily called the "Death and Dismemberment Tour") also worked well to raise both bands' profiles and cross-pollinate their fanbases, as well as forge creative ties between several members.
Later that summer and fall, the Dismemberment Plan started to debut songs for their follow-up to Change. In 2002, the band put all the music tracks from their last two albums on their website, encouraging fans to remix the songs. The result was 2003's A People's History of the Dismemberment Plan. On January 19, 2003, however, the band announced on their website that they had decided to break up after a few tours that year. A final show was planned for July 28, 2003 in Washington D.C.'s famous outdoor show space, Fort Reno Park. However, come show-time, a heavy rain had driven off all but the most devoted fans, leading the band to add one more final show.
On September 1, 2003, the band closed out the first part of their career with a sold-out show at the renowned 9:30 Club. Following the split, Travis Morrison took the post-Change songs with him for further work, and released many of them on his first album, Travistan, in 2004. Jason Caddell worked with Morrison on Morrison's second album, All Y'all, which was released under the name Travis Morrison Hellfighters. Eric Axelson started a band called Maritime with former members of The Promise Ring; they released an album, Glass Floor, in 2004. Axelson subsequently left Maritime and joined the band Statehood in mid-2006 with Joe Easley until the tragic death of Clark Sabine in June 2009. The Dismemberment Plan itself even reunited for two shows to benefit Cal Robbins at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. on April 29 and April 30, 2007. A full reunion still seemed unlikely, though, and on July 2, 2009, Travis Morrison announced his retirement from music, stating that there would be no more shows or bands.
In late 2010, however, the Dismemberment Plan announced that they would reunite for a full-scale tour in 2011 coinciding with Barsuk's vinyl reissue of Emergency & I. At the time, the band denied that they were planning a new record, but implied that one could be possible. By the time the tour was finished, the band played on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, as well as three performances in Washington, D.C., the Pitchfork Music Festival, Philadelphia's Roots Picnic, and ten other dates.
The band reconvened once again in 2012 and played several small-venue shows in Baltimore, Maryland and Fredericksburg, Virginia, where they debuted eight new songs; a month later, Travis Morrison confirmed that they were working on a new record. On June 26, 2013, the band officially announced their fifth studio album (and first new record in 12 years), entitled Uncanney Valley. It was released via Partisan Records on October 15, 2013.
Automatic
The Dismemberment Plan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I dunno what sends you on your way once more, it's not for me to say
there's a bright light right around the bend
see it bathe us both in that fluorescent glow, so monstrous and final
I could see you through the dirty waves
smiling like a vampire as you disappeared beneath the whitecaps
but a man can't live for what he saves
Once again the politics of common sense: you do and I don't
I could tell you it's not true but what's the use, it's automatic
caught inbetween
was a star that once burned crazy red
an ashen globe that spins with dead momentum lost in absolute space
even as this wavelength pulses dread
linger like the cold burn of electric shocks, so slow to fade away
Once again the fireworks of bad ideas: you will and I won't
light the sky with long-gone hate that comes from where it's automatic
caught inbetween
The Dismemberment Plan’s “Automatic” portrays a sense of detachment and helplessness in a relationship. The song starts with the singer expressing confusion and uncertainty about their partner’s behavior, unsure of what reasons they have for coming back or leaving again. The singer acknowledges that it’s not up to them to make assumptions or judgment about their partner’s actions. There’s a metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel mentioned in the song, a bright and impending sign that something final is about to happen.
The singer then reflects on a past experience where they watched their partner disappear in the waves, likening their partner’s smile to that of a vampire. The lyrics convey a sense of longing and sadness as the singer realizes that a person can’t live purely for saving someone else. The song builds and culminates with the repeated theme of “caught in between” representing the stuck and powerless emotions in the singer’s relationship.
Overall, the song’s lyrics capture the frustration and resigned feelings of being caught up in a somewhat toxic relationship, highlighting how one can’t control everything in a relationship and ultimately has to accept things as they are.
Line by Line Meaning
I dunno what brings you 'round again
I am not sure what makes you come back again.
I dunno what sends you on your way once more, it's not for me to say
I do not know what makes you leave again, and it is not under my control to say.
there's a bright light right around the bend
There is a shining light just around the corner.
see it bathe us both in that fluorescent glow, so monstrous and final
When we reach the light, it will illuminate us with an overwhelming and conclusive fluorescent light.
I could see you through the dirty waves
I could visualize you through the ocean waves that are murky.
smiling like a vampire as you disappeared beneath the whitecaps
You smiled like a vampire as you vanished beneath the waves.
but a man can't live for what he saves
A man cannot only live his life holding onto and saving things.
I could feel my toes curl through the yellow sand as I watched you slip away
I sensed the sensation of my toes curling in the sand while watching you fade away.
Once again the politics of common sense: you do and I don't
Again, the battle of common sense; you act and I do not.
I could tell you it's not true but what's the use, it's automatic
I could inform you that it's false, but it does not matter; we are programmed to act this way.
caught inbetween
We are stuck in the middle of this conflict.
was a star that once burned crazy red
There was a blazing red star in the past.
an ashen globe that spins with dead momentum lost in absolute space
Now it is an lifeless orb with no momentum, spinning alone in space.
even as this wavelength pulses dread
Although the feel of fear pulses through this wavelength.
linger like the cold burn of electric shocks, so slow to fade away
These feelings linger like the numbing after-effects of an electric shock, so sluggish to disappear.
Once again the fireworks of bad ideas: you will and I won't
Once again, the clash of bad ideas; you should and I should not.
light the sky with long-gone hate that comes from where it's automatic
Illuminating the sky with hate from the past, deep-rooted and automatic.
caught inbetween
We remain caught in the middle of this negativity and conflict.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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