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Rating:
This brand new album by Dashboard Confessional leaves me a bit perplexed, but I can't help but notice that there's a notable change in direction by the quartet led by Chris Carrabba, leaving behind a rather disappointing "A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar," where, in my humble opinion, Carrabba showed he didn't know how to handle electric guitars and drums (despite being in Further Seems Forever in his early years), to embark on much less "emo" sounds, but definitely more suited to many contexts that are characterizing the current story of Dashboard Confessional.
First of all, the album turns out to be a "global distribution" reinterpretation of Carrabba's specific sounds, which plays against, in my opinion, the old fans who were used to songs like "The Sharp Hint of New Tears" or "A Plain Morning" which, while approaching these new pieces of 'Dusk And Summer' in compositional capacity and similar sounds (for instance, the melodic vocal interludes and tone shifts), distinctly stand out and highlight the more "rock-commercial" nature of this album.
Let's say that, if the first two albums were great and the third (Unplugged) established them commercially, the last three (including the EP "Vindicated") continue this streak of commercialization of the "Dashboard Confessional" product, dividing into: a reworking of sounds for "A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar," a stepping stone for a more commercial rock in terms of "Vindicated," and finally, confirmation and affirmation of the Carrabba + Commercial Rock formula (because 'Dusk and Summer' has really very little emo...) = success (at least on paper)...
The album starts with a song that could be compared to the opening song of "A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar" (namely Hands Down), titled "Don't Wait." "Don't Wait" is emblematic of this LP, the song that can act as a logical summary for the entire album, and, in my opinion, the song on which the producers focused the most to publicize the album (it's no coincidence they already made the video, and in the U.S., it's playing non-stop on Mtv), because it's the most catchy, and the most "melodic-commercial" of the entire album. The album continues with new sounds for Dashboard Confessional, much more "rock", the second track on the Album, namely "Reason to Believe" sounds like a song by My Vitriol, and "Rooftops and Invitations," for that initial riff and double voice continuing throughout the track, approaches pieces and sounds reminiscent of Hardcore Superstar (a bold comparison?) or perhaps a rock akin to Feeder.
Continuing along this line of attitude, the album also offers some good tracks, such as the ballad "So long, So long" featuring Adam Duritz (who is the Counting Crows' singer, for those who don't know) and with the use of a perfectly fitting piano in that track (as Americans say, a piano-driven tune), and the acoustic piece "Dusk And Summer" that recalls the old Carrabba of "Swiss Army Romance" that was so beloved and was unsurprisingly considered Carrabba's best album, or perhaps a track like "Several Ways to Die Trying", which despite being in a very disappointing album, is a very beautiful piece, almost a sort of "lone sniper" of the album, a track that, despite the album heading in one direction, goes the opposite way.
Even "Currents" is a song you wouldn't expect from Carrabba, given that series of chords in the verse that haven't been heard, if not fleetingly, in previous songs, if it weren't for that very predictable chorus it would be a nice song, but precisely for its predictability at the level of "structural resolutions of the track" it deserves the black mark of the album...
The album concludes with a strange "Heaven Here" that I invite you to listen to, for the electronic arrangement it possesses, and that strange drumming that hammers throughout the track. A track that nonetheless possesses a typical melody of Dashboard, and Carrabba's vocal performances worthy of the best soprano of the Maria Callas school (not to overdo it, right!...)
An album which, despite the fact that it might win the Dashboard Confessional some gold records and possibly even a Grammy, undoubtedly emphasizes more and more Chris Carrabba's desire to move away from his origins to venture into the extreme commercial that will make him a sort of "Max Pezzali" from America.
If I have to rate this album without considering years of Dashboard Confessional history, I'd give it a 7 out of 10 for the effort in changing style and genre, but if I have to keep in mind a fundamental fact I mentioned earlier (which is the commercialization of Dashboard Confessional), I can't give more than a 5 out of 10, and thus translated into a deRating, a 2 stars out of 5 is more than fair...
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Don't Wait (04:05)
The sky glows
I see it shining when my eyes close
I hear your warnings but we both know
I'm gonna look at it again
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
You get one look
I'll show you something that the knife took.
A bit to early for my own good
Now let's not speak of it again
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
Don't wait, Don't wait
The lights will flash and fade away
The days will pass you by
Don't wait
To lay your armor down [x5]
02 Reason to Believe (03:43)
"Reason To Believe"
Oh sweet lungs don't fail me now
Your burning has turned into fear
Drills me in my every step, i'm moving quick but you're always on my heals
Just one more breath, i beg you please
Just one more step, my knees are weak
My heart is sturdy but it needs you to survive
My heart is sturdy but it needs you
Breathe, don't you want to breathe
I know that you are strong enough to handle what i need
My capillaries scream, there's nothing left to feed on
My body needs a reason to cross that line
Will you carry me there one more time?
Steady lungs, don't fail me now
I feel you bursting but you won't let me die
Fill me up with every step
I'm feeling sick, but i'm leaving it behind
Just one long breath i beg you please
Just one more step you are not weak
My legs are sturdy but they need you to survive
My heart is sturdy but i need you
Breathe, don't you want to breathe
And know that you are strong enough to handle what i need
My capillaries scream, there's nothing left to feed on
My body needs a reason to cross that line
Will you carry me there once more?
I have reason to believe that i have victories to taste
I can feel them on my teeth, upon my lips and in my chest
I can roll them on my tongue, they are more subtle than defeat
I feel the tension in my lungs and every move is filled by my resolve to
Breathe, don't you want to breathe
I know that you are strong enough to handle what i need
My capillaries scream, there's nothing left to feed on
My body needs a reason to cross that line
Will you carry me there one more time?
03 The Secret's in the Telling (03:24)
The signal is subtle
We pass just close enough to touch
No questions, no answers
We know by now to say enough
With only simple words
With only subtle turns
The things we feel alone for one another
There is a secret that we keep
I won't sleep if you won't sleep
Because tonight may be the last chance we'll be given
We are compelled to do what we must do
We are compelled to do what we have been forbidden
So I won't sleep if you won't sleep tonight
Our act of defiance
We keep this secret in our blood
No paper or letters
We pass just close enough to touch
We love in secret names
We hide within our veins
The things that keep us bound to one another
There is a secret that we keep
I won't sleep if you won't sleep
Because tonight may be the last chance we'll be given
We are compelled to do what we must do
We are compelled to do what we have been forbidden
Until the last trace and this hope
Is frozen deep inside my bones
And this broken fate has claimed me
And my memories for its own
Your name is pounding through my veins
Can't you hear how it is sung?
And I can taste you in my mouth
Before the words escape my lungs
And I'll whisper only once...
There is a secret that we keep
I won't sleep if you won't sleep
Because tonight may be the last chance we'll be given
We are compelled to do what we have to
We are compelled to do what we have been forbidden
'Cause you will be somebody's girl
And you will keep each other warm
But tonight I am feeling cold
04 Stolen (03:53)
We watch the season pull up its own stakes
And catch the last weekend of the last week
Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced
Another sun soaked season fades away
You have stolen my heart
You have stolen my heart
Invitation only grand farewells
Crash the best one of the best ones
Clear liquor and cloudy eyed, too early to say goodnight
You have stolen my heart
You have stolen my heart
And from the ballroom floor we are a celebration
One good stretch before our hibernation
Our dreams assured and we all will sleep well
Sleep well
Sleep well
Sleep well
Sleep well
You have stolen my
You have stolen my
You have stolen my heart
I watch you spin around in your highest heels
You are the best one of the best ones
We all look like we feel
You have stolen my
You have stolen my
You have stolen my heart
05 Rooftops and Invitations (03:54)
The first time you looked at her curves you were hooked
And the glances you took, took hold of you and demanded that you stay
And sunk in their teeth, bit your heart and released
Such a charge that you need another touch, another taste, another fix
She just might get you lost
And she just might leave you torn
But she just might save your soul
If she gets you when she gets you any closer
She leads you up, points out skylines and stars, steeple chases in bars
And took your keys and demanded that you stay
The city longs well for rooftops and invitations
All lace in secret places, she moves you to touch with her hands
And she just might get you lost
And she just might leave you torn
But she just might save your soul
If she gets you when she gets you any closer
Under the cold sheet, where the welcomed touch of skin and skin will meet
Out on the inside where a girls prize is at the tip of your tongue
Where every move and each impulse brings clarity
To stay like this is everything you'll ever need
She just might get you lost
And she just might leave you torn
But she just might save your soul
But she gets you any closer
Can you believe your eyes
06 So Long, So Long (04:15)
Hand out the window
Floating on air
Just a flip of the wrist and I'm waving you goodbye
Drive past the lifeguard stand
Where I sit around
Waiting for you to remember
As I drive
[Chorus]
How the girls
Can turn to ghosts before your eyes
And the very dreams that led to them
Are keeping them from dying
And how the grace with which she walked into your life
Will stay with you in your steps
Pace with you a while
For so long, so long
For so long, so long
The speaker in this door is blown
So nothing sounds quite right
Taking my time taking this drive
Waving this town, goodbye
And I drive this ocean road
And remember
The small of your back
Nape of your neck
I remember everything
As I drive, I'm waving this town goodbye
[Chorus]
How the girls
Can turn to ghosts before your eyes
And the very dreams that led to them
Are keeping them from dying
And how the grace with which she walked into your life
Will stay you in your steps
And pace with you a while
So long, so long
So long, so long
So long, so long
So long, so long
Taking my time taking this drive
Waving this town, goodbye
So long, so long
So long, so long
So long, so long
And I will leave under the cover
Of summer’s kiss upon the sky
Like the stone face of your lover
Just before she says goodbye
I was certain that the season
Could be held between my arms
But just as summer’s hold is fleeting
I was here but now I’m gone
(so long, so long)
I’m gone
(so long, so long)
I'm gone, I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone
(so long, so long)
I'm gone, I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone
(so long, so long)
07 Currents (04:27)
"Currents"
The air is visible around you, rising up and off your lips in slow currents
And i watch as your face is framed in its slow currents
Drifting curls a trailing path
A long drag becomes a dress of blue and ash
If it is born in flames then we should let it burn
Burn as brightly as we can
And if its gotta end then let it end in flames
Let it burn all the way down
The air is visceral around us, turning in its simple steps on slow currents
And i watch as it pirouettes and spins
in slow motion
A long drag becomes a
a slow dance and a halo around her
If it is born in flames then we should let it burn
Burn as brightly as we can
And if its gotta end then let it end in flames
Let it burn all the way down, all the way down
And if this is ever meant to end, then i hope it ends where it began
So hot with love, we burned our hands
If this is ever meant to end, then i hope it ends where it began
So hot with love, it burns our hands
If it is born in flames then we should let it burn
Burn as brightly as we can
If its gotta end then let it end in flames
Let it burn, let it burn
If its gotta end let it burn
If its gotta end let it burn
08 Slow Decay (04:08)
"Slow Decay"
Stand down son, start resting easy
You've done your service, i am proud to have you home and see you safe, it's so good
You look so strong in that picture on the mantle you sent your mom when you were gone
But you look scared now, hollow eyed
When are you coming
When are you coming back where you belong
I swear that it's safe here, there's nothing to fear at all
Come on back where you belong, the pressure releases if you just let down your guard
Everything rests on you
You know that feeling well, the ball is falling,
Falling, falling, so far from a close call
Your injuries aren't mortal wounds,
The only thing that's killing you is what you saw,
What you couldn't stop
But you're not the one i blame, it wasn't your mistake
You're safe now so come on back where you belong
I swear that it's safe here, there's nothing to fear at all
Come on back where you belong,
The pressure releases if you just let down your guard
It's the simple things dad, i'm not hurt, i'm not dead,
I just should be where my friends are lying
And i didn't hate those that i killed but they're all dead now
But i'm here alive with satellites and friday nights
And no one to judge me for the things that i've done and all
So how can i live with that?
Back where i belong
Take me back where i belong, you swear that it's safe here
Theres nothing to fear at all
Take me back where i belong, the pressure releases
I just let down my guard
09 Dusk and Summer (04:38)
She smiled in a big way
The way a girl like that smiles
When the world is hers
And she held your eyes
Out in the breezeway
Down by the shore
In the lazy summer
[Chorus]
And she pulled you in
And she bit your lip
And she made you hers
And she looked deep into you
As you layed together
Quiet in the grass
Of dusk and summer
But you've already lost
But you've already lost
But you've already lost
When you only have barely enough to hang on
And she combed your hair
And she kissed your teeth
And she made you better
Than you've been before
And she told you bad things
You wished you could change
In the lazy summer
And she told you laughing
Down to her core
So she would not cry
As she lay in your lap
And she said
"Nobody here can live forever, quiet in the grass of dusk and summer"
But you've already lost
But you've already lost
But you've already lost
When you only have barely enough to hang on
And she said
"No one is alone the way you are alone"
And you held her looser
Than you would have if you ever could have known
Some things tie a life together
You slendered threads and things to treasure
Days like that
Should last and last and last
But you've already lost
But you've already lost
But you've already lost
When you only have barely enough of her to hang on
Hang on
Hang on
Hang on
10 Heaven Here (04:08)
"Heaven Here"
We are the only ones who feel it
Tonight we drink, tonight we dance with all the last ones who can hear it
We're calling in whispers, we're tired of waiting
We'll take what we want and leave, leave what we know behind
We are still dreamers in our dead sleep, naked and tangled, twisted in love
And tonight we are the only ones who feel it
So let it last all night, so let it last all night
Let the fire surround us, let it all cave in, let it all burn wild
We are leaving it all behind, we are leaving it all behind
Heaven is here
We are tangled and brave
We are leaking and saved
When heaven's not waiting, it's spilling its secrets
It's right here between us, and we've no other choice but believe
So let it last all night
Naked and tangled and twisted in love
And tonight we are the only ones who feel it
Heaven is here
And tonight we are the only ones who feel it
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