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“A Mark. A Mission. A Brand. A Scar.”
Dashboard Confessionals
Vagrant Records
Dashboard Confessional released their fourth album “A Mark – A Mission – A Brand – A Scar” in August. Their soft, emo wannabe punk sound has not altered much from their previous albums. Their new album seems aimed at male adolescents, ages 14-18. Dashboard actually seems to be stuck in a high school mentality with their song writing. As other artists progress in their song writing keeping a constant fan following, Dashboards lyrics are for adolescents only.
The first thing that I noticed listening to Dashboard’s new album was that each song’s pattern and sound is almost identical to the last. This makes the album’s lyrics and instrumentals slow and monotonous. Not much talent or excitement, as songs try and build to climax that never happens. Their lyrics are simple and targeted at confused teenagers. The album’s central idea is that you can never find the right girl or what you want. Lead singer, Christopher Carrabba, sings about how he wishes he was smarter to get the perfect girl in the song “Hey Girl.” While the album is lacking in lyrical ear candy, it does have a few songs that even the casual listener can indulge in such as “Ghost of A Good Thing,” and the opening track “Hands Down.”
I have to admit I liked Dashboard’s last album, “The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most.” I seem to have matured since then and find their new album immature and irrelevant to anything happening in my life. I half imagined the album to ask me to sit next to it during lunch in the cafeteria, or to pass me a note during study hall. However, if you’re an adolescent male ages 14 to 18, don’t think things are going your way, and have no idea how to pick up a chick; I’m sure that you’ll love the new Dashboard album.
- Dave Blanchard
“Page Avenue”
Story of the Year
Maverick
“Page Avenue,” a new release by the band Story of the Year, opens up as an ass-kicking hard rock album that grabs your attention from the very beginning. The first track, “And the Hero Will Drown,” was unbelievably impressive. It opens with some screaming, fast guitar riffs and a kicking drumbeat. The song has its soft moments to break up the monotony of hardness, but does not really digress from the original theme of the tune. As the track closed, I had high hopes that I hadn’t run across another album that is geared for that 15-year-old MTV crowd.
Unfortunately I had. The third track, “Anthem of Our Dying Day,” sounds like every other song geared towards the “punk” element of society that is played on the local Top 40 radio stations. It starts out very quiet and calm with a few minor effects to get the listener interested, then takes it up a notch and finishes in just the way it started, leaving the listener wondering what kind of music they just wasted time listening to.
This group seems almost schizophrenic stylistically. Listening to the album, it’s hard to figure out what they are trying to accomplish. They sound like they are leaning more towards the hard-rock genre, but it also seems as though their producer wanted them to stick more with the pop sound that will get them played on the radio. Their sound is very much like a cross between Good Charlotte and Linkin’ Park, but unfortunately their path has already been paved by someone else and they have now become a cheap rip-off band. Not to mention the fact that they just aren’t as good as the original. The album is good enough to borrow but not to buy. So, go find that sucker on your floor who bought it. If you can’t find it, trust me, you’re not missing out.
- Arthur Lidrall
Bangor Daily News