Rewind Sunday: Dashboard Confessional

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

All that Glitters is not Old

Adam Lambert "For Your Entertainment" (8/10)

Disclaimer: I'm going to attempt to review Mr. Lambert's album without any mention of the AMAs and his polarizing performance there. I personally enjoyed it, but I can see why people didn't. That is all I will say on the subject.

When Adam was on American Idol, his greatest achievements were the opposite of what you would think. The glam rocker of the eighth season's rhinestones never shone brighter than when he was on stripped-down numbers. Mad World, A Change is Gonna Come, and Tracks of My Tears were undoubtably his best moments on the show.

There is little to none of that here. The problem with his up-tempo songs on Idol was the material. Pieces like "Play that Funky Music" and "Born to Be Wild" will always be stuck in karaoke land. He might have injected a bit of originality into them, but not enough to make these "follow the bouncing ball" standards sound like anything but what they were. However, on "For Your Entertainment," the faster songs are the ones that truly show his personality. "Strut," "Whataya Want From Me," "Music Again," and the title track all show that he's got guts to go along with glory.

While those four songs pack a needed punch in the album's opening, "FYE" never really takes a dip in quality, apart from the generic filler track "Sure Fire Winners." "Soaked" is a cleverly written ballad penned by the mind behind British rock band Muse. It has the untraditional (the Middle-Eastern strings section in the beginning) combined with traditional (the way the song amps up into the final chorus) in a cool and intriguing addition to the CD. Similarly brilliant is "Sleepwalker," where Adam plays the part of a man so obsessed he can't sleep. The atmospheric tension combines with his erethral vocals for fantastic results.

The entire record is worth purchasing. It's so rare to find a brand of "different" pop, and to find it from an American Idol contestant is even more distinct. Kudos to Adam for staying true to who he is. Like the man himself said, he's here for your entertainment.

Download this: Whataya Want From Me, Soaked, Sleepwalker