Dashboard Confessional - The Shade Of Poison Trees

150-gram LP
NO digital copy included


Audio Quality: 3.5/5
Song Quality: 3.75/5
Packaging: 3/5


Chris Carrabba, the man releasing albums under the name Dashboard Confessional for the past 10 years or so, came up with a pretty brilliant idea. He wrote a batch of songs with the same sort of teen angst-meets-pop sensibility that was becoming hugely popular in the hands of countless pop-punk/"emo" bands. Very good songs, but had he opted to record them with a standard 4-piece punk band, they would have likely been lost in the crowd, surrounded by an ocean of familiar peers. Instead, he opted to record them alone, with just voice and acoustic guitar. Consequently, a sort of modern emo/folk hybrid was formed, and he showed an entire generation of young music fans that great songs don't need to be loud to be cool. If the song is good enough, it'll be excellent no matter how you play it.

Years went on, and as Dashboard Confessional started to become a more household name, he started introducing drums, bass, and piano into his arrangements, while keeping the acoustic vibe intact. After two of these acoustic records, Chris finally took the plunge into electric sound. He wound up having his greatest success here, with songs like "Hands Down," "Vindicated," and "Stolen" being absolutely epic pop masterpieces. I was easily able to get behind just about everything that Dashboard Confessional released, whether it was acoustic or electric, and his mainstream success was unquestionably deserved. However, by the time the fully electric Dusk and Summer record was released, I was really starting to yearn for the Dashboard Confessional of old, who sang thoughtful pop songs with an acoustic guitar and reminded you how wonderfully beautiful a simple tune could be. Chris must have felt something similar, because seemingly out of nowhere, we get The Shade Of Poison Trees, a genuine example of an artist going "back to his roots," and the result, though not as commercially viable, is wonderfully refreshing.

Though I like just about all of this record, I'd say that Side A is what shines the most. The opening track, "Where There's Gold...," is just Chris' guitar and voice, and it's a great start for the record. "Thick As Thieves" is a full-band acoustic number that harkens back to songs like "The Good Fight" from The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most, and it's probably the most memorable track on the album. Another notable track is "Fever Dreams," which is solo acoustic guitar accompanied by an electronic drum machine beat, which is both a catchy throwback and a slightly new direction for the Dashboard sound. Other great songs are "These Bones," "Little Bombs," and "The Widow's Peak," which is a great closer. Speaking of which, I'm not sure if this album was conceptualized as an LP release, but if not, it's a wonderful coincidence that the song "The Shade of Poison Trees" serves as a PERFECT closing track for Side A. Great flow from Side A to Side B on this album... something that is so rarely taken into consideration nowadays. I think a couple tracks towards the end of Side B start to feel a bit like filler ("Matters of Blood and Connection," "Clean Breaks"), but overall, this is a very enjoyable collection of songs.

Soundwise, this album is pretty good, but it has some issues. First, the good news. It's a very clean and quiet pressing, and all the instruments play back with clarity and definition. It's also a loudly mastered record without any distortion on playback... so you can feel free to rock out loud and hard to this collection of acoustic ditties. As for the criticisms, this album sounds a bit too bright and harsh in the high-end for my taste. If I sit down in the J-NEX position for too long listening to this, I can feel a headache beginning to set in. I can also hear some compression kicking in at times, specifically in the chorus of "Thick As Thieves," when the chorus gets squashed a bit and the dynamics are destroyed. This is a common issue with CD and radio mixes, but hearing it on vinyl is just unnecessary, and a real bummer. Though the vinyl does sound nice enough that I'm confident that there was a separate mix and master done for it, it still has some issues that prevent it from being great. Definitely no worse than the CD though, so if you're a vinyl freak and you don't already own this one digitally, it's an acceptable choice.

Packaging is nothing to speak of. Record sits in a generic white sleeve encased in a slipcase package. An insert is included that contains all the lyrics and album credits. No digital copy is included, which is no good. It's a relatively cheap album ($12), so it's no huge loss I suppose, and it makes it an easier decision if you're trying to decide whether or not to give it a spin.

This album was clearly made without any aspirations of serious commercial success. Carrabba did it for the old fans, and perhaps for himself as well. It's a nice throwback, and though it's definitely not as great as the older records it's trying to sound like, it's a really enjoyable batch of songs. Chris officially has my permission to go back into the studio and write another major pop smash with electric guitars. I'll probably love it just the same, and I can't fault the guy for needing to bring home the bacon. Keep up the good work.

Buy the LP at AuralExploits.com
Buy the LP from DashboardConfessional.com

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