Travis Morrison

People Die
From Travistan

I hated Silence of the Lambs. Hated it. And not because it was too gruesome or because I somehow convinced myself that it was a bad movie. No, my distaste is much more basic. I found the movie exceptionally frustrating as a sequel.

“A sequel?” you say? Yes, a sequel. It’s somewhat more common knowledge now than it was in 1991, but Silence of the Lambs is, in fact, a sequel. The original movie is a classic thriller called Manhunter. I watched it with my mom when I was, I dunno, like 12. More than being a great childhood memory, it is an amazing movie.

Unfortunately, as a sequel, Lambs fell flat. I went into it expecting an extension on the first brilliant film, but, of course, it was intended to stand on its own.

That’s how I felt about Travistan.

If you are even remotely familiar with the Dismemberment Plan, you will recognize Travis Morrison’s voice. This album is his first (and thus far only) post-Plan solo effort. When it was released in 2004, it was met with a flying poop-storm of bad reviews from the legions of Plan fans. Including me. I think we were all expecting a sequel to Change, but instead were introduced to a new Travis Morrison.

At the time, it sounded lonely somehow. Looking back… er… listening back, I realize that I was reading more into the album than I should have been. Had this been his only release, I probably would have hailed it as some kind of indie solo brilliance. Right now, I wish I could go back and hear it for the first time all over again with the ability to ignore all of my prejudices.

I sincerely hope Travis releases another album. I promise to give it an honest shot.

…

Maybe I should rent Silence of the Lambs…