Refused are no longer fucking dead.

It’s only Wednesday, and this week has already brought two '90s punk stalwarts back from retirement. Both At the Drive-In and Refused will play this year’s Coachella, prompting many gray-bearded music journalists to reinsert their plugs. Bands here in D.C. are certainly not immune to the musical seven-year itch, but one thing we lack is a fancy, multiday music festival to facilitate (and underwrite) these types of reunions. Still, in case any local punk groups need an excuse to get back together—other than the fact that At the Drive-In and Refused owe a debt to a certain revolution-minded D.C. post-hardcore group—here are a few low-key suggestions.

Reunion: Nation of Ulysses
Hiatus: 20 years
Occasion: Passport DC
Justification: In a brilliantly choreographed tie-in, bewildered guests will be escorted into a shadowy, makeshift Embassy of the N.O.U.,  an event that perfectly dovetails with the 20th anniversary of the band's posthumous release The Embassy Tapes.

Reunion: Fugazi
Hiatus: 10 years
Occasion: 2012 Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair
Justification: An explosive rendition of "Merchandise" rings out with irony and serves as a helpful reminder of how many quality, homemade goods are still up for sale.

Reunion: Tuscadero
Hiatus: 13 years
Occasion: Tuesday at Haydee's
Justicification: The degentrification of Mt. Pleasant.

Reunion: The Dismemberment Plan
Hiatus: Eight, five, or one year, depending how you're counting
Location: 2012 National Book Festival
Justification: To promote You are Invited: A Collection of Breathless Reviews of Dismemberment Plan Reunion Shows, Volume 1.

Wild Flag @ Black Cat

We covered a lot of music in pictures this year, but some truly stood out.

The show whose ticket needed to come with industrial-strength ear plugs...
Archers of Loaf at Black Cat (more photos here)

Dinosaur Jr. plays Bug at 930 Club (more photos here)

The coolest band reunion...
Dismemberment Plan at 930 Club (more photos here)

The show whose audience had the most members from other D.C. bands...
Office of Future Plans and Title Tracks at Fort Reno (more photos here)

John Davis at Luce Unplugged (more photos here)

Living legends who came to the area...
Bryan Ferry at Strathmore Music Center (more photos here)

Alejandro Escovedo at 930 Club (more photos here)

Show that resulted in the most bruises...
Marginal Man at Black Cat (more photos here)

2011 WCP Shows in Photos
Grant Hart In-Store @ Crooked Beat Records (Jan. 13)
Jason Isbell & 400 Unit @ 930 Club (Jan. 14)
Dismemberment Plan, Poor But Sexy, Batala @ 930 Club (Jan. 22)
Girl Talk @ 930 Club (Feb. 1)
Avett Brothers @ DAR Constitution Hall (Feb. 18)
Tommy Stinson, Mike Gent, Emily Roberts @ Iota (Feb. 17)
Jonathan Richman @ 930 Club (Feb. 26)
Middle Brother, Deer Tick, Dawes @ 930 Club (March 2)
SXSW 2011 @ Austin, TX (March 16-March 19)
Sebadoh @ Black Cat (March 2)
Mike Watt @ Black Cat Backstage (March 31)
The Black Angels @ 930 Club (April 3)
Wire, Weekend @ Black Cat (April 7)
Title Tracks CD Release Party @ Black Cat Backstage (April 20)
Alejandro Escovedo, Jesse Malin & St Marks Social @ 930 Club (May 1)
Tame Impala, Yuck @ Black Cat (May 6)
Surfer Blood @ Rock and Roll Hotel (May 10)
Ted Leo, Drew O'Doherty @ Black Cat Backstage (May 14)
Neko Case, Y La Bamba @ Black Cat (May 13)
Sondre Lerche @ 930 Club (June 7)
Chris Mills @ DC9 (June 16)
Allo Darlin @ Black Cat Backstage (June 16)
The Feelies @ 930 Club (June 18)
Dinosaur Jr Plays Bug@ 930 Club (June 24)
Deleted Scenes @ Black Cat Backstage (July 16)
Title Tracks, Office of Future Plans @ Fort Reno (July 25)
Bon Iver @ 930 Club (Aug. 2)
Archers of Loaf @ Black Cat (Aug. 5)
Marginal Man Reunion @ Black Cat (Aug. 20)
Virgin FreeFest 2011 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (Sept. 11)
Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Black Cat (Sept. 24)
Wilco @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (Sept. 25)
Bryan Ferry @ Strathmore Music Center (Oct. 3)
Jens Lekman @ Sixth & I Synagogue (Oct. 5)
Wild Flag @ Black Cat (Oct. 20)
St Vincent @ 930 Club (Nov. 1)
Blind Pilot @ 930 Club (Nov. 6)
John Davis @ Luce Center, Smithsonian Museum (Dec. 18)

Hume, "Inverse Fireworks" ("Inverse Fireworks" single)
The psych-inflected pop of this early 2011 track sounds miles away from the infinitely spaced-out Hume of late 2011, but its relative restraint makes the song all the more memorable.

Meredith Bragg, "Birds of North America" (Nest)
The haunting folk of Meredith Bragg doesn’t really belong alongside the more Americana-focused singer-songwriters in the area, even though that's often who he shares bills with. The ever-persevering troubadour traffics in quiet subtleties, and the slight changes in timbre and instrumentation throughout "Birds of North America" reinforce a simple, repeated melody without becoming stale.

Oddisee, "Skipping Rocks" (Rock Creek Park)
With the kind of beats hip-hop heads dream about, this mostly instrumental record is like hearing the ‘90s in soft focus. Oddisee seamlessly blends live instruments with choice, ‘70s-style samples, and the result is a soundtrack to your favorite summer memory.

More Humans, "Mason-Dixon" (Demon Station)
The harmony-laden post-punk of More Humans’ Demon Station was one of the year’s more pleasant surprises. This track somehow feels both breezy and urgent, showcasing both craft and accessibility.

Mason-Dixon by More Humans from NIGHTTIDE on Vimeo.

The Caribbean, "Mr. Let’s Find Out" (Discontinued Perfume)
One of the densest, strangest pop releases of the year (can you really call it pop?), The Carribbean’s Discontinued Perfume continues to occupy a strange, dark corner of my record collection. The hooks in "Mr. Let’s Find Out" aren’t especially obvious, but its texture-driven, stream-of-consciousness melody quietly refuses to leave.

yU, "If U Down" (the EARN)
I may be a bit late to the Diamond District’s party, but this yU record has me stoked about whatever those three put out next. Smart, effortless delivery, conscious lyrics that aren't pedantic, and warm, understated beats.

Deleted Scenes, "Bedbedbedbedbed" (Young People’s Church of Air)
This song is inescapable. While the live version packs more punch, the recent single off the effects-drenched Young People’s Church of Air softly plants itself in your skull for the rest of eternity.

Deleted Scenes "Bedbedbedbedbed" from Stephanie Wuertz on Vimeo.

Poor But Sexy,  "Fool Runnin’" (Let’s Move In Together)
Despite featuring familiar guitar work by ex-Dismemberment Plan guitarist Jason Caddell, Poor But Sexy doesn’t quite fit into any particular D.C. scene...which is fine by me. Their funkiness recalls the golden days of yacht rock, and while their frank, straightforward relationship lyrics are somehow startling, they’re also weirdly bold and endearing. Oh, and the sample that kicks off this tune is totally Plan-worthy.

SPRCSS, "Ours is Expanding Light" (05/2010)
The primal urgency of SPRCSS, replete with constant 16th notes, creates a constant forward motion. On “Ours Is Expanding Light,” an extended, slow build leads to a cathartic release that somehow feels longer than its mere four and a half minutes. In a good way.

Joe Lally, "What Makes You" (Why Should I Get Used To It)
Three records deep into his post-Fugazi career, Joe Lally displays fresh confidence with “What Makes You.” It’s a mid-tempo rocker with an expectedly groovy bassline, and Lally’s understated vocal delivery adds heft to the song's sultry attack.

Travis Morrison, y'all

Well, this is awkward. Washington City Paper contributor (and Tereu Tereu singer) Ryan Little is launching a new record label with his buddy Tommy Siegel (of Jukebox the Ghost and Drunken Sufis), and, obviously, we'd usually feel kind of weird about plugging it.

But screw it, because the first release on Bad Friend Records is pretty exciting: It'll be a 7-inch of unreleased tunes by Travis Morrison Hellfighters, the spunky defunct group of The Dismemberment Plan's once and (I guess) current leader. If you choose to help fund it, that is. A Kickstarter campaign asking for $2,500 went up last night.

The single includes two songs, "Henrietta" and "Cruisin'," with a third tune, "Moneytown" included as a digital download. You can listen to rough mixes of the first two over at Morrison's MySpace. (MySpace!) The songs were recorded by Medications' Devin Ocampo after the release of the Hellfighters' 2007 album, All Y'All; they've now been mixed and mastered by former Hellfighters guitarist Thomas Orgren. "Henrietta" and "Cruisin'" are classic late Morrison: bucolic, a little freaky, and on point.

By the way, the Hellfighters aren't getting back together or anything. Morrison, per his website, is still "RERTIED."

Other upcoming Bad Friend releases include records from Tereu Tereu, Drunken Sufis, and the Fredericksburg, Va., group Raw Feels.

Keith Morris of OFF! (Photo by Blake Miller)

The sixth annual Pitchfork Music Festival wrapped this weekend. Dismemberment Plan smiled the whole way through. Attendees got mad at Odd Future for saying offensive things. Face paint sales throughout the Midwest rose. It was dusty. It was hot. It was fun. I learned a few things that concert-goers, specifically those who have tickets to Virgin Mobile FreeFest, can refer to next time they attempt a massive rock festival.

Lesson 1: See Everyone
Music festivals are buffets. Whether they're of the Golden Corral or fancy hotel variety is up to you. Don't stick with what you know. If you're a fan of the artist you're seeing, you're bound to be let down. It's probably not the artists' fault. They don't control the people sitting on blankets talking through everything—that's your fault. Walk away. I was enjoying the Tune-Yards songs I recognized, then I wandered over to Battles and saw my favorite set of the weekend.

Lesson 2: Metal = Good
Metal and punk are awesome but are under-represented at music festivals. I shouldn't have to go to Warped Tour to see bands that have energy. It's why sets from No Age, OFF!, and Kylesa were so great for Pitchfork. Sure, the crowd didn't seem as happy as my teenage self was, but all three acts earned their money with sweat, broken strings, and raw throats.

Lesson 3: The Sun Sucks

DJ Shadow and Zola Jesus played great sets at 8 p.m. during sunset. But the light ruined DJ Shadow's projections, and Zola Jesus looked like a caricature of a pop star.

Lesson 4: The Sun Can Be Good
Battles played to not a very packed mid-afternoon crowd that could have been bigger, were it not for the heat. In other words, show up early. There's more space, people seem to have taken the right amount of drugs, and there aren't as many blankets on the ground.

Lesson 5: Know Your Headliner
Since it's the last act of the night, don't worry about discovering the headliner. If you don't love them by now, you probably never will. Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, and TV on the Radio headlined Pitchfork's festival. I know all of these bands quite well, and all of them delivered excellent sets that did not surprise me. Just get ahead of the traffic if you don't love the headliner. It's less likely you'll die in a horrible car crash 30 minutes before the last note is played.

Lesson 6: Drink water
When it's hot outside, you should drink more water so you don't die.

Lesson 7: Respect Your Elders
Superchunk, Dismemberment Plan, and Guided By Voices all delivered to their loyal devotees and possibly turned some onto the gospel of '90s rock. Superchunk had the energy of a much younger band; D-Plan played what felt like a greatest hits set and beamed throughout; Guided By Voices made it okay to drink and smoke as much as you could for an hour. Without bands like this, most of the other indie rock acts on this festival—and others like it—probably would not exist.

The Dismemberment Plan gave one of the liveliest performances at The Roots Picnic in Philadelphia this past Saturday. "It was cool, kind of like a 2-minute warning," frontman Travis Morrison said of the group's 25-minute set. "It was awesome." It was indeed. If you weren't at the picnic, no worries! Here are two videos I recorded from their performance at the festival. Above, they play "What Do You Want Me to Say?" Below: "The City."

Live in Japan 2011 might be significant for another reason. I'm fairly sure it marks the first official preservation of a longstanding Dismemberment Plan live ritual: embedding a pop cover in the song "OK Jokes Over." The cover, in this case, is Beyoncé's "Single Ladies."

As I wrote following the Plan's January shows in D.C., one thing that makes the group special is its omnivorousness: In its hands, indie rock is a filter for anything and everything. Hence the band's molasses-slow cover of "Crush" by Jennifer Paige from a 2001 EP. And hence the "OK Jokes Over" tradition.

A lot of recent considerations of The Dismemberment Plan have hinged on very personal explanations, which, clearly, is one reason the band still matters; people take them personally. Influence-wise, I don't think you hear much of The Dismemberment Plan in contemporary indie rock, but judging from the band's recent shows, their songs sit pretty nicely with the modern pop charts.

The band has played 15 shows this year, with presumably as many versions of "OK Jokes Over." I always assumed the band played a different pop cover every show, but after consulting YouTube clips, folks who went to shows in other cities, and the very handy website setlists.fm, that's evidently not the case. Still! It's a pretty nicely curated selection of 21st century pop music. I'm still not sure what the band played at its first two Japan shows, nor is the band's publicist. He passed on my query to D-Plan bassist Eric Axelson, who couldn't vouch for his own memory, but suggested I listen to audio recordings made by fans throughout the tour (there are a bunch here). Anyway, here's what I got, with video clips where available. The Das Racist cover from the Boston show is fucking epic:

• Jan. 15, Galaxy Hut, Arlington: Robyn, "Fembot"
• Jan. 21, Black Cat: Robyn, "Fembot"
• Jan. 22, 9:30 Club: Far East Movement, "Like a G6"
• Jan. 23, 9:30 Club: Beyoncé, "Single Ladies"
• Jan. 27, Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia: Willow Smith, "Whip My Hair"
• Jan. 28, Paradise Rock Club, Boston: Das Racist, "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell"
• Jan. 29, Webster Hall, New York City: Willow Smith: "Whip My Hair"
• Jan. 30, Webster Hall, New York City: Far East Movement, "Like a G6"/The National, "Afraid of Everyone"
• Feb. 7, Taku-Taku, Kyoto, Japan: ??
• Feb. 8, Apollo Theater, Nagoya, Japan: ??
• Feb. 9, Shibuya O-West, Tokyo, Japan: Beyoncé, "Single Ladies"
• Feb. 13, Shibuya O-West, Tokyo, Japan: Kanye West, "Gold Digger"
• Feb. 19, Metro, Chicago: Beyoncé, "Single Ladies"
• Feb. 20, Metro, Chicago: Willow Smith, "Whip My Hair"
• March 12, The Showbox SoDo, Seattle: Robyn, "None of Dem"

The Plan still has more shows this summer—at The Roots Picnic in Philly and the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. The festival format means shorter sets, so I wouldn't be surprised if "OK Jokes Over," deep cut that it is, gets omitted.

If not, there's not much to love on Billboard's singles chart these days. The Plan should probably just go with Lady Gaga's "Judas."

Live in Japan 2011 tracklist:

1 Spider in the Snow
2 A Life of Possibilities
3 The Face of the Earth
4 Sentimental Man
5 You Are Invited
6 Bra
7 What Do You Want Me to Say
8 Pay for the Piano
9 Memory Machine
10 Time Bomb
11 If I Don't Write
12 Following Through
13 The Dismemberment Plan Gets Rich
14 Do the Standing Still
15 Girl O'Clock
16 The City
17 I Love a Magician
18 OK Joke's Over
19 Ellen and Ben
20 Gyroscope
21 The Ice of Boston
22 That's When the Party Started
23 Back and Forth

Pitchfork, which this year runs from July 15 to 17 in its familiar Union Park venue in the West Loop, will offer D-Plan an audience of close to 20,000 when they play on the festival's second day. (Presumably they'll play second-to-last; Fleet Foxes is listed as the Saturday headliner.) But Pitchfork isn't the no-name alternative festival it was when it debuted in 2006. It's still nowhere near the gluttonous cacophony that Lollapalooza is, but it is a major stop in its own right with a growing corporate organ. Last year's installment featured Heineken replacing Goose Island as the beer supplier, along with an air-conditioned tent sponsored by American Express.

It's still a coup for D-Plan, but at this stage the Pitchfork Music Festival has its plusses and drawbacks:

The Good:

• Big audience. Union Park can hold close to 20,000 people when configured for Pitchfork.
• Killer line-up. Other acts announced today by Pitchfork include Animal Collective, James Blake, TV on the Radio, OFWGKTA, and Destroyer. The full line-up will feature about 40 acts, most of whom appear to have performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at some point in the last six months.
• Concessions are historically reasonable. I've never paid more than $2 for a bottle of water or $5 for a cup of beer at Pitchfork, and on hotter days they've halved the price for the water. Food vendors are local businesses, and the all-important portable toilets are generally plentiful.
• A sunny summer day in Chicago has two settings. One is warm, breezy, and altogether lovely.

The Bad:

• You can't rush the stage at a festival. It took a matter of seconds to ascend from the floor of the 9:30 Club to Joe Easley's drum kit in January. At Pitchfork D-Plan enthusiasts will find metal barricades, a photographers' pit, and a garrison of security guards (some of whom will be off-duty cops) between themselves and the band. And the stage is at least 8 feet off the ground. The upshot is that the guys will seem awfully lonely during "The Ice of Boston."
• Pitchfork ain't cheap like it used to be. Back in the day (2006), the Pitchfork Music Festival was a two-day affair that cost $30 for the entire weekend. This year the three-day affair will set you back $110, still less than half the price of a Lollapalooza pass, but not exactly a small purchase.
• Indie rock has outgrown its thrift-store-bought britches. Twilight Saga soundtracks? Caribbean cruises? Corporate-sponsored festivals? As one jaded indie-rock chronicler just said to me, "I'm going to only hardcore shows from now on."
• A sunny summer day in Chicago has two settings. The other is oppressively humid and hot as balls.

But if you must, you can get your tickets here. It's $45 for a single day—D-Plan plays Saturday, July 16—and $110 for the whole thing.

Last night, per tradition, The Dismemberment Plan played "The Ice of Boston" toward the end of its show at the 9:30 Club, and a throng of fans joined the band on stage. As a service to you, the reader, I documented the whole thing, making no attempt to 1) hold my camera steady; or 2) refrain from dancing. This is what "The Ice of Boston" feels like from the inside.