Dashboard Confessional was originally a basis for Chris Carrabba to release acoustic solo releases as a side project away from his main band of the time, Further Seems Forever. Dashboard Confessional have come a long way since then, with a million selling album under their belts in the form of ‘A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar’, however there are moments on this album where the band actually sound like a continuation of the aforementioned Further Seems Forever. It could quite fairly be argued that this was the point at which Carrabba sold out, and that ‘The Swiss Army Romance’ is the album which embodies the true spirit of Dashboard Confessional – something that I would be inclined to agree with. Having said this, ‘Dusk and Summer’ is not a bad album, and with it’s bitter sweet pop harmonies – it is actually a competent offering which will no doubt get used for countless teen romance films over the coming months.
This is a decent album in that there are ten tracks on display here that could easily be released as singles to critical acclaim, along with one bonus track in the form of Spiderman 2’s ‘Vindicated’ which has already achieved this. I feel that the albums centrepiece ‘So Long, So Long’ is probably one of the finest moments on the album – a collaboration with Counting Crows singer Adam Duritz which is an incredible piano led track that really works well in it’s place at the centre of the album. It is a great collaboration where much time and effort has obviously gone into this track in order to make it the best it possibly could be. If it wasn’t for the amazing ‘Slow Decay’ then I no doubt would have been saying that ‘So Long, So Long’ was the bands finest moment on this CD, however ‘Slow Decay’ would definitely win this award. This is probably the most angst you’ll ever find on a Dashboard record, with the band really tearing through this one and making it a stand out track for me.
The band will release the album’s opener ‘Don’t Wait’ as the first single on August 21st – something which should see the band achieve success over these shores. This is a strong track which is simple yet extremely effective. It’s one of those deja vous tracks where the first time you hear it, you’ll feel like you’ve already heard it before. I think it is this that makes this track so strong as it’s instantly recognisable and should make a good single. If it doesn’t do well, then it will merely serve to prove the fact that whatever Dashboard Confessional does, over here they will remain virtually unnoticed.
Although you will stop playing this album and forget most of what you’ve heard almost instantaneously – for what it’s worth, this is not a bad album. If you want an album that you can sit back and relax to, then this is the ticket. Sure, the originality isn’t exactly groundbreaking and the lyrics aren’t exactly genius – but this Dashboard Confessional release definitely deserves a place in your CD collection. It probably won’t ever become your favourite album, but you’re bound to find yourself giving it a spin from time to time. Once you get past the fact that this album is targeted at 14 year old girls, you’ll probably find yourself quite enjoying this album.
Label: Vagrant
Release Date: 10th July 2006
Rating:
UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
