Dashboard Confessional "The Swiss Army Romance" (Then: 7/10 Now: 9.5/10) Released: 2000
When Chris Carrabba hit the scene in the late 90s, he was just a symptom of a growing revolution in the country: whiney teenagers. Not that that's a bad thing, as the whiney among us have produced some of the best teen movies/television/music in the last 20 years. Many say that Carrabba eventually towed the line of believability with his teen angst, and I would have to agree. But for this release, The Swiss Army Romance, he was at least still in his twenties, producing some believable and quite soulful music.
It starts off with the best song Carrabba has ever written, "Screaming Infidelities." It is jarring in a good way, building up emotion each time he utters a previously sung line. Back then this was a pretty common occurrence, what with bands like Simple Plan and Blink 182 dominating the charts. But in this day and age, when music has become about production and electronics, it is exceedingly refreshing to go back to a time when it was just a boy and his guitar.
From there the album becomes a hit or miss affair, mostly being the former. "Living in Your Letters," the title track, and "Again I Go Unnoticed" all live up to the expectations of "Screaming," while "Turpentine Chaser" and "Age Six Racer" fall a little flat. Around the center of the CD, a song comes along that really shows what Chris is capable of. "A Plain Morning" is surprisingly angst-free, sounding a bit like a Bob Dylan or Carole King cover song. The lilting female back up vocals combine with Carrabba's to weave a wonderful duet of sorts that takes the listener to fields where the sun is just about to rise. It is a beautiful tribute to the height of Dashboard's popularity.
This is simply a great collection of songs. There are some that can feel repetitive when compared to others, but that is to be expected from a mostly acoustic band. So take another look and remember the days when music was simpler.
Download this: Screaming Infidelities, A Plain Morning, Living in Your Letters
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