Alter The Ending [Deluxe Edition]

Dashboard Confessional | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 10, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Deluxe Edition
• Label: Universal Music Group
• ASIN: B002NOYWZK
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,668 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Get Me Right

2. Until Morning

3. Everybody Learns from Disaster

4. Belle of the Boulevard

5. I Know About You

6. Alter the Ending

7. Blame It on the Changes

8. Even Now

9. The Motions

10. No News Is Bad News

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Get Me Right [Acoustic]

2. Until Morning [Acoustic]

3. Everybody Learns from Disaster [Acoustic]

4. Belle of the Boulevard [Acoustic]

5. I Know About You [Acoustic]

6. Alter the Ending [Acoustic]

7. Blame It on the Changes [Acoustic]

8. Even Now [Acoustic]

9. The Motions [Acoustic]

10. No News Is Bad News [Acoustic]

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

5 extra tracks over standard US release: Unitl Morning, Belle Of the Boulevard, I Know About You, The Motions, Water & Bridges. 17 tracks total --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DC: Redefined, November 13, 2009

By 

rapaleeman "rapaleeman" (Woodbridge, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alter The Ending (Audio CD)

So I fired up the new release from Dashboard Confessional and started to listen like usual, in my car on the way to work. After the first 2 tracks (and a couple WTF?!?!? moments) I pulled over at 7-11 to get my coffee and actually had to pop the disc out to make sure I put in the right disc. Yes, I had to do a double take on a DC album.

My experience with DC is pretty extensive. I first heard "The Best Deception" and it hit me at the right portion of my life that I was able to connect instantly. I was hooked from there and have listened to everything Chris Carrabba has put out including his short stint with Further Seems Forever. "Dusk and Summer" was a great album that moved DC in a new direction. It added in more of the actual band and less of the "emo" as it were. With the release of "The Shade Of Poison Trees", that came to be almost like a swan song in a since. I think that was him saying goodbye to the "old ways". That one was for the fans that have been around since "The Swiss Army Romance" and in a lot of ways "The Shade..." was a lot like it when I look back, especially in the sound. It was mostly acoustic and the writing wasn't as sharp, though it was still quite good and had a bunch of standout tracks. It just wasn't a step forward.

So where does that leave us. Well, we have basically the official sequel to "Dusk and Summer" and that is definitely not a bad thing. For the first time the actual band works on all levels. "Dusk and Summer" was a little rocky in parts (mainly the meshing of the vocals to the music) but everything just works here. From the vocals to the instrumentation it seems that this album was written with the music in mind and not just the lyrics. That is a little weird to say considering the Acoustic Disc that comes with the special edition is almost as good as the actual album. Usually it is the other way around with the acoustic tacks being the highlights. Not so here.

"Get Me Right" is a great opener which leads to my favorite song on the album "Until Morning". This is the track that made me realize just how much maturity has taken place since "The Swiss Army Romance." The same general topics of trying to keep what you are losing is still there, but told from a more mature perspective that I can truly relate to. Truly the only other band I can think of that has matured as much as DC over the course of their career (for better or worse) is 311. After listening to this track I realize that DC may lose some of the hardcore fans and honestly I think Chris and Co. are ok with that. They are more mature and their audience should reflect how they portray themselves.

"Everybody Learns From Disaster" is great and generally works. The storytelling from days of old are back but again with a smarter, wittier tone. "Belle of the Boulevard" is a weird one. I'm not too sure what to make of it yet. It is a great song that can truly be interpreted in more than one way and to me that is what makes good music, the ability to interpret it in more than one way while still enjoying it.

Some other highlights are "Alter the Ending", a slowed down version of "Even Now", "The Motions", and "Water and Bridges". Truly though there is very little wrong with any of the tracks presented here and never in a long time have I been truly happy with every track from an album that I purchased. "Hell on the Throat" is a great closer by the way.

All fans should have picked up the Deluxe Edition and got the Acoustic Disc. Again, all the songs are actually great and a few sound a little better acoustically ("Even Now" for instance). With that said, I'm glad it is just a bonus and not the released album. You really need the full band versions to appreciate what Chris and rest of the crew have accomplished here.

A part of me will always love songs like "Hands Down" or "Saints and Sailors" but really this is the album that will be seeing the most play time in my CD player and my iPod now. Like Chris, I have grown up. While I still have some of the same problems and issues as I did almost 10 years ago, gone are the days of the whiny teenager.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Uneven and ambiguous return of DC, December 11, 2009

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alter The Ending (Audio CD)

Has it really been 6+ years since Dashboard Confessional's masterpiece "A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar"? How I loved that album (and still do). After that album, Chris Carrabba decided that arena-sized rock was the way to go but when the 2006 "Dusk and Summer" album failed to meet those expectations (even though it has a number of really good tracks on it), he retreated the next year to the acoustic-only sounds with "The Shade of Poison Trees", and when that album again failed to really connect, Carrabba came to a cross-roads of sorts... what to do next? Now comes the answer.

"Alter the Ending" (2 CDs; 24 tracks; 87 min.) brings 2 albums into one. CD1 brings the full-band version of the album, and opener "Get Me Right" is a great way to start things of. "Until Morning" plays nicely as well. The best tracks on here for me conclude the first half of the album: "I Know About You", an urgent track full of life, just great, then followed by an equally entertaining title track. Unfortunately, the second half of the album falters, with barely a memorable tune, "The Motions" being the best of the bunch. CD2 brings the exact same songs, but simply Chris in an acoustic-only setting, as if he couldn't decide whether this album should be a full-band album or just him. It leaves me scratching my head, frankly, as to what direction Dashboard Confessional is taking.

In all, separate and apart from the full-band vs. acoustic only argument, the album lacks truly memorable songs. There are a couple, but that's it, a very uneven return and an ambiguous one at that. That aside, Carrabba is a great performer. I've seen him in concert before, and would jump at the chance to do so again (by the way, DC is the opener on Bon Jovi's upcoming early 2010 North America arena tour), but this album is not the band, or Carrabba, at their/his best. Buyer beware.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Regression to conventional teen pop, November 18, 2009

By 

Deb Ryan "debtomr" (Bellingham, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alter the Ending (Audio CD)

Longtime DC fan who is disappointed by the last two efforts ("Shade of Poison Trees" and now this). Though Carrabba's song writing prowess is on display here, the end result is indistinguishable from the catchy top 40 pop adored by young teens. Not being snarky, but these slickly produced songs are right in-line with Kelly Clarkson and Jonas Brothers, right down to the standard and unnecessary guitar solos. DC took some risks on their album "Dusk and Summer" and I felt it to be their most accomplished album thus far. "Alter the Ending" is an unfortunate evolution into more conventional, Disney radio friendly pop. Some catchy tunes, but ultimately light and forgettable with very unoriginal producing. Can't fault them for chasing commercial success with a broader audience, but the sound is less authentic and certainly not distinct.