Dashboard Confessional – Dusk and Summer • Page 3

Was this the record that was originally going to be a completely piano based album? I remember reading some interview with Chris where he wrote a piano based record, then scrapped it, then wrote a different record and released it.

 

Yeah, I always forget about "Write it Out" because it was a pre-gap. This is also the last CD I remember buying that had a pre-gap.

Awesome, really happy to hear this.

You don't like "So Long, So Long"?! Explain yourself!

I like A Mark, A Mission a lot, but that's the one that hits a slump for me. My three least favorites ("So Beautiful," "Hey Girl," and "If You Can't Leave it Be...") are all in a row.

Ending is definitely his most consistent and cohesive. Every song on that record is great.

Huh. Yeah, that album must not be available in the UK. Can't imagine why.

Thank you for reading!

I think that sounds right. I remember him talking about it, and "So Long, So Long" is certainly one of the few (only?) piano-led songs in his catalog. I'd be interested in hearing that stuff one day.

 

One of the best things I ever read. Thank you.

This album is pure summer bliss. The best thing on this record aside from great songwriting is epic guitar work. The opening of Rooftops and Invitations is gorgeous. And Vindicated is the first DC song I ever heard when it was promoted as Spider-Man soundtrack song

 

Yeah for me "So Long, So Long" is just one I could never fully get on board for, most likely because of Duritz. Not a huge Counting Crows fan, personally, so that kind of drags the song down for me. But, I will say, of those three songs it is the one I like the most. And I understand why it's a good song, even though I don't personally enjoy it. I'm not one to say something is objectively bad just because I don't personally like it.

That's interesting you'd say that about A Mark, A Mission. As in, it's funny how the same exact thing happened for you on that album as happened for me on this one. Honestly, it's probably because I have more nostalgia for that album than this one. Even though I didn't get into it right when it came out, I did come to it before Dusk and Summer released. It was actually my first exposure to Dashboard, as I'm sure it was for a lot of people in our age range that missed out on the initial releases of Swiss Army Romance and Place You Have Come To Fear the Most by virtue of being 10 and 11 when those album released, respectively. And I obviously don't have the same level of emotional connection to this one as you do.

But like I said, I still really enjoy this one and don't think it deserves nearly the level of hate it got. I feel like it's steadily building a more positive legacy in more recent times though.

 

Great write up on what is definitely the most influential Dashboard album for me. Probably tied for my favorite.

 

Fantastic piece. I totally agree. Dusk is my favorite Dashboard album as well, and it has alot to do with the memories it brings me back to. Some songs I just like and they don't have a deeper meaning to me but for Dusk and Summer, whenever I hear a song off of it, I immediately think back to my life in the Summer of 2006.

 

Aww what a sweet review!

I actually had no idea this album got a lot of hate. That album cover and this album had always been how I remember DC in my head, although I also do enjoy A Mark.. and Shade of Poison Trees. But every song in this album just became such anthems in my head, both music and lyric wise. This album is how I'll always remember them, possibly also because none of their previous and subsequent albums sound like this.

Edit: Also, thank you for the review. I'm revisiting this album now and I'm surprised I can still sing along to every single song. Apparently these melodies are embedded in my brain.

 

Thank you so much.

Not a Counting Crows fan? That in itself makes me sad, haha

A Mark, A Mission was my first Dashboard album too, and I got into it during a very formative stage of music discovery, so it's actually kind of interesting that it isn't my favorite. I think it's got a bunch of his best songs: "Bend and Not Break," "Hands Down," and "Several Ways to Die Trying" are incredible. But yeah, I think you could trim some fat and make it a better album.

 

Yeah I don't know, they're one of the 90s acts I never really got into. The Shrek song was fine though.

I definitely agree that A Mark, A Mission feels like a looooooong album. I just have such a biased, irrational love of it that I feel like the excess of songs never bothered me. But I definitely see where you're coming from with that; I have so many albums I love that I also think have a few songs too many. But man, when I listen to it that runtime just flies by for me.

By the way, I actually got an original copy of Dusk and Summer with the slower "Stolen" on it off of Amazon the other day. Can't wait to spin it again.

 

Ha, that's fair. I've got albums like that. I don't downright dislike those songs or anything, I just don't think they're up to the same level of the rest of the record. I also think he builds some really great momentum in "Morning Calls" and "Carve Your Heart Out Yourself" that would have worked really, really well as a lead-in to "Several Ways." So maybe I would just prefer a different order of the tracks after "Bend and Not Break."

Awesome that you found an original copy. My brother and I went to see Brian Fallon the other day and the copy of Dusk and Summer that I gave to him a decade ago was in his CD wallet. Needless to say, it was the first CD I popped into the player.

 

I haven't been able to go to any shows recently because I've been studying for the Bar exam, so very jealous you got to go see Brian Fallon. And damn, still using CD's in the car? Respect haha. I switched over to iPod as soon as I could.

 

Ha, his aux connection is currently busted, so the CDs are a temporary solution.

 

@Craig Manning you asshole, I'm crying at work.

 

@Craig Manning: what were the three songs you liked from Shade? Clean Breaks has to be one of them

 

Title track, "Widow's Peak," and "Where There's Gold."

 

all solid tunes. you made up for not picking clean breaks by going with widow's peak at least