Of all the songs on the Dismemberment Plan’s upcoming album Uncanney Valley, “Daddy Was a Real Good Dancer” is the smoothest ride. The D.C. luminaries are known for their squiggly keyboard squirts, fidgety guitar chords, and yelping vocals, but their newest single rolls along on a steady midtempo. It is, however, an openly unsettling song, as the first few lines spell out: “Growing up I never knew why / Daddy was so depressed / He always paid his interest but / He never got out of debt.” Travis Morrison’s vocals are strong and bright, and the track’s lilting instrumentation, squeaky guitars and all, borders on peppy alt-country.
Uncanney Valley — the band’s first album since 2001 — is out on October 15. They’ve released two other singles so far: “Waiting” and “Invisible.”
