My Top 1000 Songs #989: Sentimental Man

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.]

Weird! Back-to-back days with bands making their first appearance here, some 2000 posts into this silly blog thing. And, once again, I guess it makes sense. I like Dismemberment Plan, but I do find them to be a challenging listen, something I only feel like engaging with now and again. After being a little scared off by their earliest work, I belatedly picked up 1999's Emergency & I and enjoyed it more than I'd expected--a strangely unique post-punk record that I guess falls into that "math rock" bucket (which I interpret as meaning it's all but impossible to dance to, or even nod your head along with). The 2001 follow-up, Change, pulled back just a bit on the abrasive aspects of the music, making it an easier listen, still complex and unexpected but with a more emotional groove. 

That's particularly apparent on album opener "Sentimental Man," which has some indescribable otherworldly quality that's really stuck with me over time. Even if it remains a record I only reach for on infrequent occasions, as soon as the needle drops I'm like, oh, yeah, this one! Cool! It starts out with a sort of comforting familiarity--a bassline that calls to mind the Police (compare "When The World Is Running Down...")--and gently eases into the band's off-kilter oddness, the vocals kinda roaming all over the place yet somehow still warm and compelling.

Live 2011: