Customer Reviews

Shade of Poison Trees (Dig)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First off, I'm a huge Dashboard Confessional fan and have been since I first heard "The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most". I have listened to and own everything Chris Carrabba has released. He is a great songwriter and artist. With that said this album is a sequel to "The Swiss Army Romance" and the aforementioned "Places". This to me is fan service for those who have been unhappy about the departure of the acoustic "emo" style that he pioneered. I had no problem with the move to "A Mark A Mission ...." and "Dusk And Summer". "Dusk and Summer" is one of my favorite albums but I do still listen to the older records because of that raw acoustic feeling of pure emotion. With that said, I hope you (the reader) understand where I'm coming from.

"The Shade of Poison Trees" is a great Dashboard album. The acoustic guitar is back, but there is something brighter and more alive in the sounds. The melodies and lyrics are as powerful as ever and the songs are catchier than ever. "Thick As Thieves", "Little Bombs", "Fever Dream" and "Where There's Gold..." are some of the standout tracks, but if you like Dashboard Confessional then you will like the entire album.

Why only 4 stars?

As great as this album is, nothing can turn back time. I get memories of high school and college when listening to "The Shade", but it just can't bring me back to that moment when I was 18 and heard "The Best Deception" for the first time. I have grown up. I enjoy listening to this album and will add it to my rotation of Dashboard songs, but it can only remind me of those feelings. "The Places" is where my feelings and memories lie. However, for the Dashboard "novice", this isn't a bad place to start. It doesn't hit you as hard as "The Place" and "The Swiss" and that might be a good thing for the younger crowd. The first 2 albums were pretty dark at times and even though there are some darker tracks found here, nothing is as dark as some of the stuff off "The Swiss Army Romance" album.

This is a great album that is hurt only by the time that has passed. Original Dashboard Confessional fans take note: This will bring back memories of the time before you "grew up".

So, I have all the CDs in the Dashboard catalog, and I readily admit that I like them all. Equally. There seem to be two types of DC fans out there: those who wish every single song, album, or DVD should be exactly the same as Chris' very first musical efforts- depressed, emotionally involved and 100% acoustic. Then there are those who think that all of his musical output should be mostly acoustic, but a couple of drums here and there are tolerable- as long as the songs are depressing and reminiscent of failed high school crushes. I can deal with either. Personally, I like the "depressing" aspect of his work; it's easy to feel emotionally close and identify with his music and lyrics because everyone feels pretty crappy about the opposite sex at times. The danger lies in the expectation that ONLY acoustic strumming and raw, heartfelt singing can possibly capture those feelings. I think that sometimes, a slow, sad and acoustic song is the way to go, but I also can appreciate the heavy drums and bass work coming along with it. So, while I actually really like "Dusk and Summer," I also really like this CD. It does have more drums and bass than earlier CDs, and Chris does sing differently than his first few albums, but it works. Obviously, he is older, and hopefully a little less depressed about life, and the resulting mix is good.
It all comes down to expectations- if you expect Chris to remain perpetually depressed and pining over the same heartbreaking crush from around 1989, then "Dusk and Summer" probably shattered your delicate and frail heart, and this new CD may not satisfy you; but if you expect that all musicians do, or at least should, grow and explore new things, then this CD may suit you. Really, he can only make one "Swiss Army Romance," and to expect every CD to follow in that same exact pattern is unfair and sad.

The story of Dashboard Confessional so far has been a dizzying ascent into pop culture following the timid but heartfelt debut release "Swiss Army Romance" in 2000 and 2001's "The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most" (which was a partial re-recording of the debut release), and then punctuated by 2003's "A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar" album, which perfectly summarized the band's acoustic sound, yet expanded it nicely into a bigger (and sometimes electric) sound. "A Mark" is a highlight among the emo-releases of that era. Expectations for the next album were huge and when finally "Dusk and Summer" cames out in 2006, it was a commwercial letdown for whatever reason, sending the band's singer-songwriter back to the drawing boards. Now comes Dashboard Confessional's 5th studio album.

On "The Shade of Poison Trees" (12 tracks, 33 min.), Carrebba abandons the electric guitar entirely, and tries to rekindle the energy of "The Places You Have Come To Fear the Most". On the opener "Where There's Gold" the sound feels refreshing, as does "These Bones", but as the album carries on (in a flash, with only about a half hour of music), it becomes clear that the songs are missing the hooks from the earlier albums, in particular when you compare this to "The Places" and "A Mark", where it sounded like just about every song could be a hit. After playing "The Shade" a number of times, it is hard to recall any of the individual songs on the album.

Success (or the lack of it) is a curious thing. After the commercial disappointment of "Dusk and Summer", Carrebba felt compelled to retreat to the band's earlier sound, rather than continuing to evolve to whatever would be next. As a result, this album sounds uninspired, even contrived, and "The Shade of Poison Trees" simply does not live up to the band's earlier material, inviting the question where Chris Carrabba and Dashboard Confessional will go from here.

Dashboard Confessional's latest full-length, The Shade of Poison Trees is nothing short of amazing, but veteran Dashboard fans should be prepared for what may appear on the surface to be a false return to form.
The no-holds-barred truth about The Shade... is as follows: musically, The Shade marks a departure from the arena-rock sound that was hinted at on A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar and clearly displayed on Dusk and Summer. Fans of older Dashboard efforts, particularly So Impossible and The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most, will not be disappointed by the The Shade Of Poison Trees' stripped-down intimacy. However, be aware that lyrically, The Shade Of Poison Trees is much different than early Dashboard EP's and albums, in that the lyrics are more mature and tend to focus more on nostalgia than broken relationships. With these things in mind, Dashboard fans, both old and new, should be able to thoroughly enjoy The Shade Of Poison Trees. I know I certainly do.

I like this CD but Dusk and Summer is way better... The Widow's Peak - THAT'S a great song.

Most reviewers who are being hard on this record all note that they have been fans of DC since the early acoustic records. I actually discovered DC with Mission, Mark... and worked my way backwards. Music fans, especially indie rock fans, are so attached to the bands they discover that they seem to want to stifle their progression as musicians. Listening to Carraba's evolution from solo guitar to full-band was great to hear when I went back. I am not sure why there does not seem to be the same love for his more recent work. He can't crank out the same songs in the same style for decades without getting bored with himself as an artist.

If anything, I am actually a little disappointed that he has stripped down "to his roots," especially if it is to appease a certain base of fans. I thought Dusk and Summer lacked the dynamics of Mission... (in terms of both tempo and volume) and was looking for more development as a full band.

All that said, I think the album sounds pretty good, the free wheeling flavor of the early records with a tighter, more mature sound. I imagine it will grow on me more as I listen, as just about all his records do.

I agree with everyone here saying that it's a lot different lyrically, as far as the content. It definitely does not talk much about high school romances, and honestly, I don't expect that. I mean, he's over 30, no need to be singing about that anymore. The songs are still catchy, sound great, and although Chris doesn't sing about the same things that made me start liking the band in the first place, I still love it. If it was the same as Swiss Army Romance or Places, people would be complaining that he hasn't changed it up. No matter what, there will be complaints. I'm just glad that they're not going to end up like Green Day, singing the same sounding crap for 20+ years.

When I heard that Dashboard Confessional was "going back to its roots" I was very excited. A big fan of the early work, I could not get into the last two albums. The sound was too different, the lyrics weren't as catchy, and the raw emotion was just not there. There were always a couple really good songs (Vindicated, Stolen, Hands Down) but listening to the entire album straight through was out of the question. The Shade of Poison Trees is the best album since Places That Your Fear with very few clunkers.

The acoustic guitar is back. Most songs feature just the guitar, however they do mix in some drums and piano, which sounds great. Some of the songs can almost pass for early Dashboard work: Thick as Thieves, Where There's Gold, and The Shade of Poison Trees all offer up heavy acoustics and superb lyrics, though they still lack the emotion of previous releases. The tempo of the album is upbeat, which is a big improvement over the last two albums. The vocals are, as always, quite good. The music is simple, so if the lyrics aren't very interesting and catchy the songs falter.

Luckily, most of the tracks are fast-paced with good lyrics. I've been mostly listening to the album straight through, only skipping over The Rush and Matters of Blood and Connection (why write a bitter song about rich people?...I mean he's got to be wealthy himself now). Dashboard fans will appreciate this as their best work in a long time. New fans should start with Swiss Army Romance and Places That You Fear The Most before moving on to their later works. Definitely a must own for all long-time Dashboard Confessional fans.

I'm a classic Dashboard fan. Sometimes those early high school songs and albums (aka The Swiss Army Romance, The Places..., the EPs) never leave you. However, I could never get into A Mark, A Mission or Dusk & Summer, the latter never impressing me in the least. I was sorry to say it, but I had given up on Mr. Carrabba.

A friend told me Dashboard released a new album this week. I reluctantly listened to one of the new songs on his Myspace, and... I was floored. Sure, it's not his old music--it is certainly new, cleaner, different. But it's as if he forgot about his last two albums and decided to write a new album based on the ones that got him where he is today. As I said, the music is new, cleaner, and different. However, as opposed to Dusk & Summer, the songs are also good.

Chris certainly incorporates a few more poppy elements into his music (see his drum machines and light synth backups). But instead of acting to change his music, they add to it--they compliment or contrast his melodies and his ACOUSTIC guitar. And at times, it really is back to that Chris we all know and love, the Chris sitting in front of the microphone, just him and his guitar. It's nostalgic and hopeful at the same time.

Overall, I am highly impressed with this release. Maybe it's not worth 5 stars. Maybe I'm just so overly excited that it doesn't suck that I rated it artificially high. Maybe. But I do know that when I listen to this album, I can listen, smile, and sing along, just like in the good old days. And in my mind, Chris Carrabba is back.

I always skim through the reviews of a product before I buy anything on Amazon, but this time I ignored the general opinion of the reviewers - which was unimpressed, at best - and bought the CD anyway. I love Dashboard so I thought to myself, "How bad can it be?"

Wow. I listened to it once through and cringed the entire time. The lyrics are clumsy and completely uninspired, as if Carrabba pulled out his junior high journals and added music to the pages. Someone wrote a review in here saying this album sounded like a collection of B Sides - I think they were being generous. These songs aren't worthy of that, nevermind an entire album of them. I cannot express my disappointment.

Don't buy this album if you've never heard a Dashboard Confessional song - they have put out much better material!

And don't buy this album if you have heard a Dashboard song - this album just might ruin them for you.