Music Banter - Dashboard Confessional-The Shade Of Poison Trees

1.Where there's Gold
2.Thick As Thieves
3.Keep Watch For The Mines
4.These Bones
5.Fever Dreams
6.The Shade Of Poison Trees
7.The Rush
8.Little Bombs
9.I Light My Own Fires Now
10.Matter Of Blood And Connections
11.Clean Breaks
12.The Widows Peak

Release Date:2007
Major Label:Vagrant Records

Prior Records:A Mark,A Mission,A Brand,A Scar.
Dusk And Summer, The Swiss Army Romance,
The Places We Have Come To Fear The Most,Summer Kiss(EP).

Dashboard Confessional-The Shade of Poison Trees

‘The vocal work is executed
With outbursts of sentimental value
that’s what you expect
By Dashboard Confessional’

As a band, Dashboard have risen through numerous genres of music and have never really found there sound. But that hasn’t hindered there genius of contributing melodic songs that keeps them punching above there weight. Lead by articulate front man Chris Carrabba, the bands recent release The Shade of Poison Trees has received sceptical views from Emo’s strict population. Not as potent as prior records, not as involving and diverse, it seems to stick to a lonesome sound, but beautiful all the same. The vocal work is executed with outbursts of sentimental value, its what you expect from Dashboard Confessional.

‘It seems that there is an underskin
Deep inside him that
Spurts out his lyrical gems’

The core of the album has a conflicted barrier of emotional downsides. Carraba has a tendency of singing profound lyrics that are from the heart that are lengthy but work. Its seems that there is a under skin deep inside Him that spurts out his lyrical gems. Or maybe it’s a mind which has been graced, blessed by god’s own hands, or determination on his part. The Shade of Poison Trees has proven something unimaginable, that’s how the emo culture works. Dashboard are classed as emo frontrunners, blasting there competitors in to hole of mediocrity.

A creatively sound and largely
Inviting piece of music,
You need to listen twice to feel the full
Extent of its fresh lookout’

The shade of poison trees is Dashboard’s coming of age, there upper scale fight for notability. A Creatively sound and largely inviting piece of music, you need to listen twice to feel the the full extent of its fresh lookout. Its first listen can be repetitive and misjudged, but as you delve progressively into the records soft centre you can finally see the bands true brand of music. Slow introductions and acoustic tunes that breathe craving feelings of love and mellow dramatic standstills, that’s what you get with where there’s gold, harshly short but unbelievably brilliant. Thick as thieves’ harbours the spotlight on the album, its true grasp of strength is brought into equation as it’s the most catchy and memorable song on the catalogue.

‘The shade of poison trees is slow but filling
Its short but its large
In its approach to listeners’

Widow’s peak goes down as one of most complete songs in the album, or maybe the bands finest song to date. Sadness reeks from its bare intro, but it’s a beautifully intact song that becomes the albums true love melody that could certainly be prime for the oc’s teenage scenes. Americanised is not overly insulting for Dashboard, they just fit that criteria of teenage culture. Maturity is in Dashboard’s sea of ever defining music, there lyrics tell that story, that eventful normality of young life and growing up. The shade of poison trees is slow but filling; it’s short but is large in its approach to its listeners. Breaking away from other bands in there mold, concentrating on soulful urge, of relentless bashful music that hits the inside layer of emotion.

‘The band have steadied themselves
in the music phenomena,
Directing there music in a lower level
But not falling off the bandwagon’

Mainstream is never an understatement or a charge of losing the will of independence. Its what Dashboard don’t want to be, they don’t fit that bracket, there happy to be behind the scenes and let the acts in front of them make shed loads of money and receive monstrous publicity . The band have steadied themselves in the music phenomena, directing there music at a lower level but not falling off the bandwagon. Keeping themselves above norm, highlighting there true ambition of being noticed. A special band who utterly blessed by music and all it’s of the characteristics!

BY Mark MCconville, please comment and take a chance on Dashboard Confessional.