A Dashboard, A Confessional, An Album

With their first studio album since Places You Have Come To Fear The Most, Dashboard Confessional (aka Chris Carrabba and friends) is releasing A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar. Other than their insanely long titles, the albums don’t have a lot in common. Carrabba has appeared to “grow up” a bit on the indie rock playground, creating something with more of a rock and roll feel and less of a whiny, schoolboy-emo sound that he became (perhaps unfairly) associated with in the past. Often considered the poster boy/band for emo, Dashboard may be leaning towards a harder sound, but still not pure rock.The songs have been filled out with more instrumentation and creative vocal blending, helping boost the music to the intensity of Carrabba’s lyrics. But for fans of the old-school solo acoustic sound, never fear – in the song “Ghost Of A Good Thing,” Carrabba visits the roots of his style with a strong acoustic guitar sound and his fervent melodious voice. He also bends in other directions though, such as with “Carry This Picture,” a fun and almost goofy love song. But it’s in songs such as “Hey Girl” that Carrabba’s ability with a full band shines through, and proves that Dashboard Confessional can be flexible without breaking fans’ expectations.