Dashboard Confessional – The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most
(Vagrant)

When Chris Carabba decided to relinquish his role as the frontman for Further Seems Forever and start a solo project with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, he could never have predicted the overwhelming popularity that would follow. For one reason or another, his poppy acoustic ballads have managed to strike a chord within the punk community. It seems the hardcore kids have all been secretly wanting to let their sensitive sides show for some time now, but never had an outlet to do so. Or perhaps they’ve all just been craving something a little different musically, but were afraid to stray from the punk “scene”.

Either way, it’s hard to listen to this most recent Dashboard Confessional album without being turned off by all of the hype surrounding it. It’s also hard not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the many various tales of heartbreak contained within. But when it comes right down to it, the songs are easy to relate to, and catchy as hell… plus Chris Carabba is kinda cute.

This is the second full length Dashboard Confessional release, and it consists of 10 tracks; two of these originally appeared on the Swiss Army Romance LP. They are new recordings of the songs however, and this time they feature bass and drum accompaniment. It’s true, Dashboard Confessional is now more than just a lone(ly) man and his acoustic guitar, it is a 3-piece band. The new instruments add an extra dimension to the sound, but also detract from the intimate and personal feel that the music has. I would have liked it more if the new rhythm section displayed a little more creativity, because frankly there are points where it makes Dashboard Confessional sound like the freakin’ Dave Matthews Band or something. (Not that I’m uh… putting down The Dave Matthews Band…)

The album sounds overproduced at times, and Carabba’s voice seems to be a little too up front in the mix. It grates on my nerves at certain points, especially when he starts wailing at the end of the album’s closer, “This Bitter Pill”, in a rather phony attempt to make it sound like his emotions had gotten the best of him.

The Places You’ve Come To Fear The Most is a pretty good record, but for some reason, it seems to lack some of the charm that the first album had. Maybe it’s because of the extra instruments, or maybe it’s because of the production. Maybe my perspective has just changed ever since I noticed Dashboard Confessional were getting so damn popular. I’m not sure which of these is the truth, but I’m sure this album will be a big hit regardless of what anyone says about it.

I’ve got nothing against throwing this record on and singing along, but just keep in mind the fact that he isn’t saving the world with some revolutionary new musical idea here. He’s basically just writing sappy love songs, and while he’s good at what he does, it’s been done a million times before. — Sean