2012
In my quest for discovering new music (new to me anyway) a few years ago I came across a song while listening to Pandora.com that perked up my ears. It was called "Stolen" by a band I had never heard of - Dashboard Confessional. Wow, I thought, that's just good songwriting. Eventually I downloaded the mp3 and put it on my IPod and went on my way. As the song would pop up in the random rotation I would think wow, that's just damn good songwriting.You see I fancy myself a songwriter too - I have an album coming out soon myself (more on that some other time) - and I am continually amazed at the plethora of good writers out there. Some shine brighter than others, and some can sustain that over the years, album after album. Christopher Carrabba's Dashboard Confessional has done just that.
Dashboard Confessional started as a side project for Carrabba in an effort to become more intimate and personal with his music. With his success a new genre of music was legitimized and has crawled out of the underground. I'm still not exactly sure what Emo is but it is described as a style of rock music characterized by melodic musicianship and expressive, often confessional lyrics. And yes that describes Dashboard Confessional exactly. According to the article on Wikipedia - Emo broke into mainstream culture in the early 2000's with the platinum-selling success of Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional...
Leaving his band Further Seems Forever to pursue a solo career in the early 2000's Carrabba's first recordings were just him and his guitar. Even then he started to gather a legion of devotees. Later in 2002 the full-length album "The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most" was released and featured a full band on several tracks. From that album the heart-rending single "Screaming Infidelities" found an immediate home on modern rock radio.
By 2003 with a permanent lineup (with bassist Scott Schoenbeck, guitarist/pianist Johnny Lefler, and drummer Mike Marsh) and a new album, "A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar" Dashboard Confessional was on it's way. The album topped the Billboard charts and spawned another hit single, "Hands Down," which peaked at number eight.
The thing put the band in the spotlight was the inclusion of the song "Vindicated" on 2004's Spider-Man 2 soundtrack. The band now had a wide audience, and a song that rose to number two. The album that featured Vindicated - Dusk and Summer - also featured the hit single "Don't Wait" which really epitomizes the whole emotional nakedness of the genre. Carrabba sets up the listener with a pensive, heartfelt verse then ratchets it up 10 notches as he delivers the punchline chorus:
Don't wait, Don't wait
The road is now a sudden sea
And suddenly, you're deep enough
To lay your armor down
To lay your armor down
To lay your armor down
The road is now a sudden sea
And suddenly, you're deep enough
To lay your armor down
To lay your armor down
To lay your armor down
Over the years Carrabba and Dashboard Confessional have been savaged by the critics. The theme repeats itself over and over claiming Carrabba abandoned the true Emo purity he himself pioneered. As if it is a crime for artists to grow and change from album to album. You know the Beatles abandoned holding hands and Norwegian wood too. While DC may not be your thing the talent here is undeniable.
I find the songwriting - as mentioned, very, very strong - and the performances led by Carrabba's emotive vocals backed by solid rock components make for exciting music with rib-sticking hooks. I find myself humming these tunes long after the final notes fade away.
My favorite tracks are:
- Stolen
- Don't Wait
- Vindicated
- Until Morning
- Belle of the Boulevard
- Hands Down
4 of 5 stars
CW
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