Customer Reviews

Places You Have to Come to Fear the Most

5 star:		(155)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(45)

 

 

I borrowed this CD before I bought it because I wanted to hear what the buzz was about. I was completely and pleasantly surprised by the style. Most tracks are unaccompanied acoustic guitar, and those that have background instruments use them to good effect. The harmonies are tight and a little unusual, almost like classic Jon Anderson (Yes). The lyrics, while all unrelenting teen angst and boy-loses-girl, are really quite raw in their emotion. Thanks to his emo background, Chris Carraba isn't timid about hanging his hurt out on his sleeve. I suppose it rubs some people the wrong way (my sister said it made her want to slit her wrists), but I guess if you've been there perhaps, it makes you feel better to hear someone else put your thoughts into verse, and Carraba does that quite well. I recommend you give it a listen. If you like it at all, you're bound to be mesmerized by it. I ordered my copy before the third track had finished playing, and it's one of the few CDs I'll listen to more than once in the same day.

Okay, I've seen a lot of "Too whiney" comments. Those people probably haven't listened to the whole album. Chris's lyrics are so poetic and beautiful. You can hear his emotion through his chords, his whispers, and his screams.

It's the only CD I can listen through the whole album without skipping certain songs. It has to be one of the best albums ever made. It is definitely Dashboard's best album to date.

1. Brilliant Dance 9/10
2. Screaming Infidelities 9/10
3. Best Deceptions 10/10
4. This Ruined Puzzle 9/10
5. Saints and Sailors 10/10
6. Good Fight 12/10
7. Standard Lines 9/10
8. Again I Go Unnoticed 20/10
9. Places You Have Come to Fear the Most 100000/10 My favorite Dashboard song over. That song is probably one of the most passionate I've ever heard.
10. This Bitter Pill 9/10

This cd follows the same formula as "The Swiss Army Romance" however is much better for variety of reasons. As a whole the songs are much more catchy and deeper. These songs showcase Carrabba's amazing voice by showing more vocal range and emotion. The songs are even better written and Carrabba uses beautiful metaphors for loss, love and redemption. Although the cd is not as long, it is a more quality recording. The music is really benefitted by the addition of drums, more stringed instruments and more back up vocals. The songs from the Swiss Army Romance, "Screaming Infidelities" and "Again I Go Unoticed" sound great with the added instruments. The cd is not your average acoustic cd. If you want emo, this is as emotional as it gets. The two final songs "The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most" and "This Bitter Pill" are some of the deepest and painfullest songs I have ever heard. Carrabba is a really ambitious and mature songwriter to attempt and pull off something like that. This cd is a million miles away from his former band Further Seems Forever. Despite the cd's intensely personal lyrics, it still is accessible to everyone. Everyone can relate to the songs lyrics. Each new listen discovers something new in the music. The cd is definitely worth buying.

OK, when I first bought this CD, I hated it. Absolutely hated it. Right then, I didn't even give it a chance and put it into my "CD's to Sell" pile.

But a few weeks later, I saw that Dashboard Confessional MTV2 unplugged thing...and I liked it. Yeah, I did. So that night, I gave it a listen, and although I didn't instantly love it, I started to like it a little better. Days went by with me listening to it, and I kept liking it more and more every day. Then I saw them on Weezer's recent tour, and I knew that I loved this band.

Not only Chris Carrabba and his voice and guitar, but the band in general. That drummer is outstanding, and the bassist has a very unique sound.

But of course, the main attraction in Dashboard Confessional is Chris Carrabba. And his lyrics are just amazing. Not only that, but he has one of the best voices in music today. Come on...you know you like his voice. Just admit it. Plus you can just hear the emotion.

I think all 10 songs on this CD are very high quality. This CD is definitely worth buying. Just let it grow on ya.

When I first heard this cd I thought it was [cruddy] acoustic schlock. (Being a big fan of the harder bands like Avail and Dillinger 4.) Then my friend played the cd for me again and something in the lyrics struck me as very moving and powerful. The guitar is beautiful and mostly understated which allows his voice to resonate and convey the pain, hurt and confusion these songs are about. You can really feel the longing in his voice and immediately begin to connect with the songs. I guess this would be classified as an Emo cd, but I think it is much more than that. This isn't emotion for the sake of whining about it. The ideas and feelings expressed are very deep and the lyrics are catchy and incredible. I think that any fan of music would love this cd and add it to their list of favorites. I do caution you that once you buy this you wont be able to stop listening to it, so be careful.

I had heard about this "band" for awhile and then I saw their video on MTV. Regardless of their mainstream appeal, it is a genuinly good, heartfelt album. "Screaming Infidelities" is on its way to being overplayed, but its a great song nonetheless. "The Good Fight" is by far the most upbeat song on here, and while none of the lyrics this guy has ever penned have been too happy, musically it's pretty upbeat. "The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most" is an incredible song musically and especially lyrically. It explores how people fake themselves to be accepted and the pain that comes along with it. It's brilliant and so poetic. Never has the inner angst of someone who seems content been so truly conveyed. "This Bitter Pill" is another great song. The last 30 seconds of the song are the most emotional thing I've ever heard captured in a studio. Chris screams like he's crying and every heartstring in my body is tuned to the perfect melancholy. I have two reasons for only giving this CD four stars. One is it's length, it's not even 30 minutes long. Second, is the instruments used. These are songs that would sound perfect played just on an acoustic guitar, no drums, etc, needed. But maybe that's just me.

i purchased 'the swiss army romance' last summer and thought that i had the best acoustic-based cd that i was ever going to have. ever.

then, dsahboard confessional releases the follow-up: 'the places you have come to fear the most'. an incredible cd of ten songs that clocks in at just under thirty minutes. two songs, "again i go unnoticed" and "screaming infidelities" (both of which originally appeared on the first dashboard confessional full-length) have been re-recorded with drums and bass. very good stuff here. these two songs have a new punch that they didn't have on the first cd.

however, the songs on this cd that are truly the highlights are "the places you have come to fear the most" (with backing vocals by jolie of rocking horse winner) and "this bitter pill". two amazing, driving songs.

this cd is a gem. hopefully, now that dashboard confessional is on a relatively big label (vagrant) chris carrabba can get the push that he needs. i would recommend this cd to anyone...

There's a lot of passion in this CD. I'm a newbie to this kind of rock, and I liked "Screaming Infidelities" so I bought this CD to see what the rest of the tracks were like and to kind of experiment around with other kinds of music. I'm just glad I started out with Dashboard Confessional. My favorite track has to be the closing one, "This Bitter Pill." He starts the song out as an angry ex-boyfriend would, and closes it with, what sounds like to me, a cry out to everyone who's been thrown away by someone else before. You can actually hear the pain in his voice on the very last word he said on the last line, "This feeling of despair/is never wearing out."

Other stand out tracks include This Brilliant Dance, Screaming Infidelities, The Best Deceptions, and Again I Go Unnoticed.

Get this CD now, whether you like emo stuff or not. If the former, then get this CD anyway, and wait until the end of the day, really late at night, right before you go to bed, and listen to it with headphones on, where you can REALLY hear his voice. Then maybe the lucky ones will see what I mean.

I first heard dashboard confessional in the dorm room of one of my fellow students...i leaned over my friends shoulder listening to the sounds of Dashboard coming out thru winamp and what i heard i loved. Raw acoustic emotional guitar based music! The more i listened to it, and the more i delved into the music i the lyrics the more i fell in love.

The Places That You Have Come To Fear The Most is truly one of the greatest emo albums of all time. And yet, you dont have to be a fan of emo to love it. I have a friend that i introduced to Dashboard who listens to mainly punk and hardcore...he's a sold out fan now.

There are many things that make Dashbaord so good...the first thing you notice is his passionate voice...and the notes this guy can hit! His voice can convey the emotions of each song which completley complements the lyrics...the majority of the lyrics are all about a relationship that he (if he writes from life) had and went wrong...when i told my girlfriend about this album i told her not to get the wrong idea because all the lyrics are about broken relationships. If you just broke up with your girlfriend this is the best album to get because you will be able to realte even more to each song, still, most of what he sings about are things that we can relate to if we have ever been in a realationship.

Each song on the album is great and has a reason, there are no songs just quickly written and randomly tossed on the album. All the songs have at one time or anothe been stuck in my head all day long and i have walked around signing them silently to myself. If there are any downsides at all to this album it is it's length. You will beg for more, so don't worry, his other album is similar and very good. Dashboard is definatley a must have in any music lovers collection that appreciates good music and raw emotion.

To say that the music of the ex-Further Seems Forever member, Chris Carrabba, is brilliant would be an understatement. Carrabba's dulcet and touching songs combine smooth acoustic guitar with occasional percussion and back up vocalists to create beautiful songs filled with emotion that you can listen to for hours on end. When I first heard the songs from Carrabba's debut album "Swiss Army Romance," I fell in love with his music. Never had I heard such talent. I became so inspired that I considered taking guitar lessons, but never did due to the amount of time I put into my percussion.

After hearing that Carrabba was releasing another full length CD, I was skeptical about the quality of the music. I was afraid that making so many records in so little time might harm the quality of his heartfelt ballads and discourage the emotion that his music derives from. I was incredibly wrong. "The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most" is everything "Swiss Army Romance" was and more. Including two tracks from "Swiss Army Romance" that have been redone with percussion and 8 other brand new songs, "The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most" is a necessity for every music lover's CD collection.