As the 20th anniversary of its release approaches, Mark McConville considers the impact of Dashboard Confessional’s Dusk and Summer.
When pondering over a chance of hope, when the skies are grey and love has become swollen like rotten gums, we must find solace and a righteous path. And hearts buckle when they’re jolted by lives under siege, effectively put to the test and battered to the point of oblivion. We are natural seekers of joy and rest, in a mad world, bravely trying to abstain from the rat race but are thrown into the lion’s den at moments, with churning stomachs and broken dreams.
Music fundamentally aids us in times of despair. It transfers us into widely adept worlds, letting us dream further than what reality can achieve. Cherishing music should be a no-brainer as it helps us contain our worries and carries us forward into a light big and bold, a beam so incredible that there’s no way of dissipation. Okay, when it halts, we will face the world again, but we know it’s always there, raucous in its delivery, wonderful in its rhythm, dreamy within its core.
One record which catches many by its emotion is an album by a band that revolutionised emo in such an honourable fashion is Dashboard Confessional’s Dusk And Summer which was released in 2006. A record of fluent lyrical mastery, it became a staple for the disenchanted revellers who felt that life was falling down a slope to the middle point of crisis and dismay.
Dusk And Summer invigorated the ears and it opened up new horizons for a band lead by the enigmatic Chris Carrabba. It soared into a wide reach; giving listeners a newly found sound, an emo revolution, and lyrically Carrabba was in tune with his own emotions, crafting these anecdotes which momentously put him on a pedestal of true ingenuity and flair.
Entertaining the crowd is key, with these songs which make up Dusk And Summer, paying diligence, and there’s subtle moments and loud moments, simplicity in full form. The chord progressions are simple too; effective in their delivery, but it’s the honest reflections from Carrabba that really fulfil the bill.
And every emotion is perfectly drawn from musicianship and artistry as well as a belting heart on Dusk And Summer. Opening song Don’t Wait flurries through like a commanding breeze, quivering the spines and leaving a lasting impression. Carrabba sings with eagerness and range while his guitar eases in and then becomes this raucous symbol of power.
The Secret’s In The Telling is another electric track with dreamy undertones. Carrabba sings bashfully in the chorus, and then the calm comes in partially. It’s a brilliant song, complete and soaring.
Vindicated comes in pure and breathes in new life. It’s a track of redemption and triggers emotion and it shows character. Carrabba’s song writing is placed in a zone of imagination here, and he really imprints his style gracefully even if the song has this dark edge.
Stolen is the pinnacle and it doesn’t lose energy. It showcases innovative song-writing and grooves that fearlessly become one. This is a contribution which properly tells a story of dishonesty, proving Carrabba hurts badly.
And then So Long, So Long enters. It’s a track of imagination and craft, heightened by the talent of Carrabba. He sings wholeheartedly on this ballad, serving justice, and showcasing that love can be fragmented easily.
Dashboard Confessional’s 2006 wonder should be heard far and wide even to this day. Every track has meaning and they stretch far beyond the ordinary, giving us an insight into a mind which is doesn’t let up. Carrabba moulded this record, and he plunged into the unknown, while rallying his demons to the slaughter.
