Label: Vagrant Records

Release Date: July 15, 2003

Website: www.dashboardconfessional.com

Dashboard Confessional - A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar
Lars Gotrich

"What if you end up liking it?"

My friend Robi asked me this question when I told him about receiving the latest Dashboard Confessional. I assured him this wouldn't be a problem.

I've got to hand it to him: he hit a niche market writing lyrics and music on par with the confused teenage youth. Jimmy Eat World did the same with Bleed American, but Carrabba has a secret weapon: the sing-along.

2003 seemed to be the year of the bonus DVD, and my promo came with one of concert and studio footage. It's quite incredible, actually, Carrabba's complete control of the audience. Every voice singing/yelling in unison with the occasional "I love you!" (both male and female) shouted between those dramatic pauses. (One friend observed that even the most heterosexual male swings over in the presence of Carrabba.) I doubt his initial purpose was to command legions of fans but only to write songs with a profusely bleeding heart on his thrift store t-shirt sleeve. It all fell into his lap.

However, a stroke of luck doesn't cover Dashboard Confessional's threadbare songwriting. Even more so than previous releases, the band goes for a full-on commercial record hitting up Gil Norton (Pixies, Counting Crows) for production and mixing. At times, they call up the Ghost of Top 40 Past with songs like "Carve Your Heart Out Yourself" sounding more like The Wallflowers than anything else. "Hands Down," the album's lead single, is a foray into electric guitars (as with most of A Mark), and recycles just about every alterna-pop song from 1996 (not too mention some of the most ridiculous 10th grade poetry I've heard).

As surprising as it may sound, A Mark does have a keeper. "Hey Girl" is a '60s pop song with an '80s rock riff, and despite its embarrassing lyrics would fit nicely on a compilation with Guided by Voices and Spoon.

Instead of further criticism, I leave you with this e-mail sent not long after I wrote this review for Dashboard-in-arms The Lynsday Diaries:

Lars,

I just read you review on The Lyndsay Diaries. Not because I was wondering what you had to say about the album. Not because I'm interested in The Lyndsay Diaries at all. Just because I did a search for the girl from the Dashboard Unplugged performance and yours was the only site that came up that had anything remotely related to what I was looking for.

Anyway...I was pleased to see that I'm not the only one who's eye she caught. I was curious if you ever found out who she is. Ok...that's all. Stupid, random question; i know. I hope your Lit. exam went well.

-Derek

posted 11.19.03

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Lars is a viking. He is also the music editor for Tangzine. E-mail him kisses at lars59@uga.edu

2003 White Elephant Productions