Dashboard Confessional - The Shade Of Poison Trees

Artist profile: Dashboard Confessional

Release Date: 01/10/07
Label: Vagrant/Hassle
Rating: ****

For their fifth studio outing Chris Carrabba’s band of Sensitive Young Men have returned to the stripped down sound of their early releases in the now obligatory ‘back to our roots’ style often favoured by bands concerned with their current public perception.

Of course, public perception of DC has never wavered – an enormous number of extremely dedicated fans absolutely adore Carrabba’s sentimental angst-pop, while critical perception has always consisted mostly of barely suppressed guffaws, sometimes extending to blind hatred.

You see, DC have never been ‘cool’, Carrabba never carrying the same scene survivor kudos of someone like Jonah Matranga, nor the brash impact of his former tourmates Brand New. He is disliked, dare one say it, because he is extremely handsome and this, for some reason, marks him out as a fake in the emo world.

While his upcoming support slots with Maroon 5 will certainly do him no favours in altering that opinion, this is a record that, while occasionally twee, often clumsy and increasingly obvious in it’s choice of themes and instrumentation, is compelling, listenable and, on the whole, a real guilty pleasure.

While lyrical concerns rarely veer far from vigorous self-analysis and diatribes against a world that doesn’t understand, the shimmering melodies of ‘These Bones’ and the frankly gorgeous ‘Fever Dream’ go a long way to earn forgiveness.

The resiliant bravado of ‘I Light My Own Fires Now’ is also a small treasure and forthcoming single ‘Thick As Thieves’ is as infectious a tune as anything in their back catalogue.

Of course, sometimes the bludgeoning righteousness of the lyrics leaves you with a sour taste and a sore head as on the cringe-making ‘Matter of Blood and Connection’ which deals with Carrabba’s disapproval of rich kids slumming it on the rock scene. Hmmmm.

It’s important to enter a record like this with as few preconceptions as possible: Just beacuse he’s perceived as a charlatan doesn’t make him one, and it certainly should not detract from the life-affirming qualities of an undoubtedly great creator of addictive pop tunes.

Who wants to be cool anyway?

James O’Connell

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