Inside Acoustic in Michael Dubin's Dorm Loyola College Baltimore, MD 1997

Saves The Day ‎– I'm Sorry I'm Leaving (1999)

 

There is nothing that can be put into type to describe how truly amazing this CD is. Saves the Day is one of the best bands around, and this is a glimpse at a side of the band that isn't visible on their LP's. No Crunchy riffs, no tight, loud drums, and no thudding bass. Just Acoustics, and the stripped down vocals of Chris. This CD is beautiful. The guitars sound so...real, and are very well played. Chris delivers an amazing vocal performace, he really pours his heart into every word. His words hang heavy in the air, and even though people have criticized, his voice isn't all that whinny, and even if it is, it's amazing. This CD is less than 15 minutes, but it's some of the best material this band has ever recorded. Every person should own this. This is what you listen to while going to sleep, and this is what you listen to when you've had a bad day and you just want to sit and be there. This is amazingly real and stripped down, emotional music. I'm not ashamed to say that this CD made me cry the first time I heard it, and it still does (yes, I am a guy, and I'm proud to admit I cry). Beautiful in every sense of the word, a must own for all music fans. .... Pay whatever, but buy this CD. It's what music is all about. 

A. Kohler
Amazon's Customer Reviews

 

Saves The Day ‎– I'm Sorry I'm Leaving (1999) 320kbps

Jeremy Enigk ‎– Return Of The Frog Queen (1996)

 

Great surprise. Return of the Frog Queen comes out of nowhere, in no way the follow-up to Jeremy Enigk's two previous LPs with Sunny Day Real Estate. Enigk chooses a really remarkable path, taking his highly dramatic, angst-ridden singing to a totally new sound. Now he favors harshly played acoustics. Way more surprising, Enigk lassos a whole orchestra to flesh out the background of each song! Enigk still screams like the abandoned child of Plastic Ono Band Lennon and "Heart Shaped Box" Cobain, a real shake-up. Likewise, his orchestra has equally dangerous intents. The most startling musical moment of all 1996 is the second half of the otherwise buried "Shade and the Black Hat," where the pent-up frustration inherent in this whole LP is suddenly let loose like Enigk were the delirious keeper of Pandora's box. He pounds a piano and howls like his wife just left him for his best friend, as the violins, violas, and cellos scrape at their strings as if to break them, and the flutes, piccolos, trumpets, trombones, French horns, and clarinets blow like they were hired by a wolf to blast a few recalcitrant pigs' houses down. The waves of classical countermelodies are extraordinary, adding on to each other to create an "1812 Overture" anvil clarion call, a roar so dense, so overpowering, it's like gasoline exploding, even more so as they back Enigk's fevered wail as if he were long past desperation. There are many other smaller, striking moments — many far sweeter, too, though always tempered by Enigk's dark voice — found throughout the LP, such as the chorus of "Carnival," where the man and his players turn positively paranoid to the suddenly depraved strains of circus sounds. The overall songwriting is superb, too. A truly remarkable work that has done the unthinkable, Frog Queen breaks new ground yet remains a direct hit, with the passion, power, and rage of punk; the simple, appealing babbling of folk; and even the multidimensional, nasty din of modern Russian classical. Wow.

Jack Rabid
allmusic.com

With the ambitious and fervent Return of the Frog Queen, the former Sunny Day Real Estate frontman plays everything from guitar and drums to harpsichord. Then he surrounds himself with a strings, woodwinds, and brass. Lyrically, he's elliptic; musically, he strays from the pretty pop to a kind of sober psychedelia. Ultimately, he clearly feels the need to make a grand statement. Of course, grandeur is often delusional, and big, as often as not, is merely bloated in its infancy. With this undeniably enchanting album, however, one can't help but wonder what's next for Enigk. And that in itself is impressive. He's upped the ante enough that we can anxiously anticipate his failures as well as his achievements.
Steven Stolder

amazon.com

Now, this is odd: an artist from Seattle who does not have that Seattle grunge sound that quite frankly so many of us are getting sick and bored of. Something new, something fresh is always exciting, and Jeremy Enigk has delivered just what the doctor has ordered. Enigk is the former lead vocalist and song writer for Sunny Day Real Estate, another Sub Pop band. Many have wondered, or have even been concerned, whether Enigk could follow up the success of SDRE, but he has come up with a very interesting and moody original album. Mellow is the general feel, but there are powerful moments as well. Enigk's unique and distinctive emotional voice fits in extremely well with the remarkable music which consists mostly of acoustic instruments and an orchestra. This album is full of artistic beauty and could even be considered a musicians' masterpiece. Highlights are "Carnival," "Abegail Anne" and "Shade and the Black Hat," all well written songs with a lot of feeling. The album as a whole seems to fit well together. It's great to hear an alternative album from Seattle not sounding like the same old thing. If you're tired of it like I am, check out Jeremy Enigk.

Greg Gitzel
dropd.com

Jeremy Enigk ‎– Return Of The Frog Queen (1996) 320kbps

Dashboard Confessional – The Swiss Army Romance (2000)

Originally released on Fiddler Records with only 1000 copies or so made, Dashboard Confessional soon would become one of the worlds best acoustic bands ever. Shortly after its release on Fiddler Records a decision was made to move to a more well known label so that it could reach more ears. So on November 14, 2000 Drive Thru Records bought the rights to Swiss Army Romance and had them until 2003 when Carraba and Vagrant records bought it. Starting as only a side project, Chris Carabba of Further Seems Forever, tried to use Dashboard Confessional as an outlet. But after the success of Swiss Army Romance it seemed like the side project would become Carraba's main project.

The name Dashboard Confessional comes from the song "Sharp Hint Of New Tears" which contains the line "On the way home/This car hears my confessions". Dashboard originally was just front man Chris Carraba, until about 2002 when he had a definite line up. When questioned about why using the name Dashboard Confessional instead of using his own name he replied. "What rulebook says it has to be called your name if your one guy?"

Since Swiss Army Romance Dashboard/Carraba has been quite busy. With three EPs ,"The Drowning EP", "So Impossible", and "Summer's Kiss". Five full length productions, "Swiss Army Romance", "The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most", «MTV Unplugged 2 , "A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar", and recently "Dusk And Summer." With huge success of all these records it doesn't look like Dashboard Confessional has any signs of slowing down.

Carraba opens this album off with "Screaming Infidelities" a great track with heartfelt strums on his guitar and whinny vocals set the stage for the entire record.. The song itself is about a guy who is full of an overwhelming sorrow about the woman of his dreams who shatters him with acts of infidelity. The best thing about the song is how much emotion Carraba pours into it, which is why I believe this rendition of the song is better than on «"he Place You Have Come To Fear The Most". The second track delivers us with the epic name Dashboard Confessional. The song is about a car ride home, and the racing thoughts of a failed relationship, I especially like how Carraba mentions the minor details of the ride, like the wind blowing and the damp air fighting the defroster.

"Living In Your Letters" has another session of soothing strums of the guitar, and more whinny love sick lyrics, and a sensational whinny voice of Carraba. The only draw backs to this song and many on the album are they all mostly sound the same. So stand out tracks will be few and far between. The title track has a very catchy sound, it is about a girl who is fake in front of everyone, and Carraba says "I would like to see you undone" meaning he would like to see the real her. Again very emotionally charged track.

"Turpentine Chaser" truly a beautiful song, although when it is on an album with such craftsmanship, it is the kinda track to fall between the cracks. "A Plain Morning" is extraordinary, due to its back up female vocalist, her voice compliments Carraba perfectly. "Age Six Racer" also has the back up female vocals and melds with Carraba's voice tremendously , the raw emotion from this song, about a summer that he misses makes this track a winner!

"Again I Go Unnoticed" is stand out track, alittle bit faster paced than the rest of the album. The song is about a relationship that is losing its passion. Down to the lack of conversation due to the TV, the closed lip kiss that is lacking passion, and the mixed signals. "Ender Will Save Us All" is another stand out track, alittle background about the title, Ender is Chris Carraba's middle name. The song itself is beautifully written and performed excellently. With such lyrics as "I wanna give you whatever you need? What is it you need? Is it what I need? I wanna give you whatever you need? What is it you need? Is it within me?" This is also my favorite track on the album.

"Shirts and Gloves" is yet again another song about a failing relationship! Go figure! It is however very elegant. With extremely soft strokes of the guitar, and very Carraba produces a very, very soft voice. The last original track is Untitled. It is different from the rest of the album, it kinda sounds like a good ole folk song turned rock song. It again has great lyrics.

In conclusion, we now know that Carraba is the master with a pen and a piece of paper. One of the most emotionally charged albums I have ever heard. I like this album almost as much as I like "Places You Have Come To Fear The Most" and more than "A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar", "MTV Unplugged 2", and "Dusk and Summer". Making this my second favorite Dashboard Confessional record. The plus side to the album is that every track is filled with pure emotion and every word spoken is from the heart. The back up vocals on "A Plain Morning" and "Age Six Racer" are superb. The draw backs to this album are that most of the tracks sound extremely similar, but you can only mix it up so much when you are a one man band! The other major draw back is the damn synthesizer! I have no idea what Carraba was thinking!

Tracks to listen to "Screaming Infidelities", "Sharp Hint Of New Tears", "Swiss Army Romance", "Age Six Racer", "Again I go Unnoticed", and "Ender Will Save Us All"

sputnikmusic.com

Dashboard Confessional – The Swiss Army Romance (2000) 320kbps

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Dashboard Confessional – The Drowning EP (1998)

Pros: Great Acoustic Guitar and Familiar Dashboard Sound!

Cons: Very short...

The Bottom Line: Great CD!! Short but Sweet!!

Obviously a little pricey for just seven minutes of songs, Drowning [EP] is great for any Dashboard fan. The EP features pretty much only acoustic guitar and vocals, so if you didn't like The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most, than you probably will not be a fan of the Drowning [EP]. Enough chit-chat though, let the review begin... 

Playlist: 

Drowning | Anyone, Anyone? | For Justin 

1. Drowning [3:18] - Obviously the title song of the EP, Chris Carabba features a lot of vocals and acoustic guitar in the song, sounding very similar to Dashboard's debut release, The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most. The song starts out with Chris strumming on his acoustic guitar, and the lyrics kick in around the seven second mark (mmm... specificity...). The vocals are not overly powerful in the beginning of the song, but they are still strong. About thirty-five seconds into the song, Chris almost harmonizes with a string instrument (I believe it's a cello, but I'm not sure... I'm not up to par with my string instruments...), and then plays off of it vocally for a little while. The guitar is fairly simple and repetitive, which is a trademark of Dashboard Confessional, but also one of Carabba's (seeing as he was the whole band in the debut CD and the EP) stronger points because his vocals and emotional lyrics become somewhat catchy. There are a few background vocals to be found in Drowning, but they're scarce. It sounds great when he pulls them off, but they're just not around enough. My favourite lyrics from this song are: And time has been spread so thin / and it's just hours till the day begins / And the things that are keeping you here are not keeping me here / and the things that are keeping you here will keep me away. / And you'll be sorry / isn't that what they'll say. / Don't follow your heart cause it just seems to get in your way. / And don't ever leave here / and mope at your leisure / and straighten out your crease here / and truth is in a tall beer. / Are you drowning your fears / in a glass of deception? / When everything is hazy than everything will be ok. / When everything is hazy than you won't be sad that you stayed.

2. Anyone, Anyone? [1:55] - The second (and middle) song of the EP kicks off with acoustic guitar and vocals right away. The guitar carries a better tune this time than it did in Drowning, and the vocals are a little more prominent in the beginning. This song is definitely a little more depressed and upsetting in tone than Drowning was as well. One of the great things about Carabba, and Dashboard in general, is that he can carry a tune very well. He shows off this ability here when he cuts the guitar and leaves himself with just vocals. It works extremely well. The guitar picks the pace up a little bit right before the thirty second mark, and the vocals go a little bit quicker as well, but it works. At this point, there is a little bit of vocal harmony as well, which is pulled off extremely well. Seeing as Carabba is the whole band, he is the lead and background vocals. To pull this off very well is extremely hard to do because it means that he has to sit down and sing the different parts at different recordings. At times he will haromize one word. For a little while here, though, he sings in complete harmony for lines at a time. He pulls it off amazingly and, I think, it really shows his musical talent. The best lyrics can be found right in the middle of the song. I can't see how / The way that you leave me alone / Makes us close / I must be out of touch / I won't ask you / To give up on the things / That seem to keep you gone / But I can be gone too... 

3. For Justin [1:58] - By far my favourite song on the EP, For Justin kicks off with just vocals, and then the acoustic guitar kicks in a second later. While all of the songs have the same acoustic guitar sound, the speed and chords change so drastically that you do not really notice (unless, of course, you're writing an epinion on it and you're forced to comment on little things throughout the cd...). In the beginning, Carabba puts a lot of emphasis on certain chords and it keeps the beat going well (remember... there are no drums or bass at all). He incorporates strategic pauses during the song where he cuts out the guitar or the guitar and vocals. I think it works really well. There is a little bit harmony within the vocals at time, but definitely not as much as there was in Anyone, Anyone?. The song ends rather abruptly, which is somewhat of a surprise. Instead of teetering out in usual Dashboard fashion (i.e. having the guitar have a chord go for a little while) the song ends right after the last lyric. While it makes the song feel a little rushed, I still love it! My favourite lyrics are the opening lyrics: It's been a year now / since you were here now / and I'll be tryin to heal inside / dedications have all been placed / and I see your resemblance in my face / And on our birthday I'll set an extra wish for you / for you... / and I have learned so much since you've been gone / and I have done so little for so long / so now I'll settle up my grievances / and focus on the savory / and wave all these discrepancies away / and I'll peter out these misconceptions / give out faith at my discretion / live a life that you would think was sane / sane.... 

Overall - Honestly, it's great. For those of you keeping track, Drowning [EP] is 7:11 long, so it's definitely very, very quick. It's an EP, though, so it's made to be short. If you don't like acoustic guitar, stay away. It's the famous Dashboard sound. If you were a fan of their debut album, The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most than you will definitely love the Drowning [EP]. It is a little bit on the pricey side, so you have to be willing to spend a little bit of cash to get a few great songs!! Overall, I love it.

Ryan Brennan

epinions.com

Dashboard Confessional – The Drowning EP (1998) 320kbps

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