Alyoshka

I've been listening to them the past few days. Part of me enjoys how disgusting his life seems to be, while another part of me thinks it a little too cliche. Like they are insulting me.

Beyond that, the music is decent, if not a little too predictable. Also, does anybody like when he yells? I think he's got one of the worst yells I've heard, but I like his singing voice.

Anyhow, why are they popular with the people who think themselves indie?

DodgingCars

I love Dashboard Confessional. The lyrics do get a little (ok, a lot) self-pitying, but I think the music is great and his is good with his word play. I'm going to see them (him?) in March.

I don't actually buy that the guy is that miserable, I think that's just his schtick. Its the kind of music he wants to write. But, I could be wrong.

Can I convince you that they're good? Unlikely... but I think DC is really good... and I really enjoy their (his?) music.

Nosebleed

I tried to listen to him to see what the fuss was 'cus I'd see lots of the kids wearing his shirt at shows. Personally I think Bright Eyes or Neutral Milk Hotel does the screaming-guy-with-an-acoustic-guitar thing better. His music never did anything for me, EXCEPT for his cover of Jamie by Weezer. That was awesome.

Yancey

How exactly does Neutral Milk Hotel do the "screaming-guy-with-an-acoustic-guitar" thing? Is the only song you've heard "Holland 1945?"

I can't convince you that DC are good. Because I don't think they are. You might be interested to hear that Vagrant Records has been bought by Interscope, so they're a major label band now (but let's not get into that argument again -- okay?). Not that they needed it. Their new album has sold almost 100,000 copies. Impressive numbers.

Nosebleed

Holland 1945 isn't an acoustic song. I was refering more to pretty much every other song on that album except that one.

Yancey

I just don't get the screaming part. And I don't get the acoustic part... those songs are well-constructed pop. They do have acoustic guitars, yes, but the arrangements are so full.

Mangum has little to nothing in common with Oberst either, in my opinion.

DodgingCars

I don't really get the screaming part with Dashboard either though.. yes he screams in a few songs, but not all of them.... not even most of them.

And the fact is.. Dashboard confessional is pretty much pop as well. And some of "their" songs are pretty full (full band).

Having listen to a few songs by both Neutral Milk Hotel and Bright Eyes... and I can say with lots of confidence that I would listen to DC anyday over either of those bands -- and I believe DC to be superiour to both of them.

Check out DC's "For You to Notice" which I think is an awesome song.

Yancey

Neutral Milk Hotel's Aeroplane Over the Sea is easily one of the 20-best albums of the 90s. Easily. That record is a revelation. An astonishingly beautiful concept album about the Holocaust.

And Conor and Bright Eyes... a coke head who can't write songs. The Everyday and Every Night EP was excellent, but his output has really fallen off since. And his new project is just grotesque.

Just wanted to add that a review I wrote of that Everyday and Every Night EP a few years ago, however, is even worse than Conor's music these days. An awful piece -- nothing but hyperbole.

Oh, and Conor has a great haircut.

DodgingCars

Maybe I'll check it out.. but I noticed I don't share much of the same musical tastes as you, so I don't know that I'd agree.

The few (3?) songs I heard were ok, but nothing that made me want to download more.

Yancey

Obviously personal taste has everything to do with it, but I can't imagine that you would find fault with this record, even if it's not your cup of tea. It's not really the type of thing I'm normally into (I typically loathe the Elephant 6-style rehashing of '60s pop), but I can't deny its greatness.

It's also an album. In the sense that the songs fit together and flow wonderfully. Downloading individual tracks doesn't even begin to capture why this disc is so good.

Nosebleed

I guess you didn't like the As Friends Rust then, huh?

Alyoshka

Yes, my argument was misguided, and I now see your definition is much clearer. Most of what is on Vagrant I consider to be worthless crap anyhow, so I'm not suprised that Interscope bought it.

musick

nope I can't convince you, I am too busy listening to "Full Collapse" by Thursday

El Scorcho

Dashboard sucks.

I've had the misfortune of seeing 'him' THREE times because he opened for other bands that I love (No Motiv, Alkaline Trio, Midtown, etc.).

First of all, each song is the same. A whiney, self-pitying guy with a guitar singing about girls he most likely never had a chance of getting in high school.

Second of all, the cult following that this guy has is even more pathetic. You go to a show and you can easily find 10-15 teenagers sitting on the ground, rocking back and forth, crying at every uninspired word that comes out of his mouth.

Even more amusing is that for his shows, he has a rack of guitars -- so many in fact that you'd have to be an extreme audiophile just to hear the difference between each one. And in a crowded concert hall? No chance in hell that they won't all sound alike.

I guess the most irritating part is that this guy has as much of a cult following as he does. I think it's because there are a bunch of depressed suburbian teenagers out there (who really have no reason to hate their lives) who think Chris Carraba is the first guy to ever pick up an acoustic guitar and sing songs about heartache.

Nosebleed

Are you serious? Kids actually cry? LAME.

El Scorcho

I shit you not man, there were kids on the floor huddled around each other crying.

hungskater

Go to HOB.COM and look under the arcived concerts and listen to the dashboard show from dec2001. it's free. His voice has changed a little. some say that he was warned not to sing so much in high pitched notes like he usally does.

Alyoshka

Hahah that's wonderful. I hate concerts like that where people think they know something, when they are really just being foolish.

If Dashboard is anything it is certainly neither profound nor original. Sorry you had to endure the concerts with the guy.

DodgingCars

They were ok. I downloaded the one album you recommended, and I thought they were ok, but nothing that had me wanting more. I ended up deleting it off my HD. But, no.. they weren't bad.

DodgingCars

Maybe the Oregon crowds are just wusses. I saw DC back in November and I didn't witness any crying. I thought he was great live -- and there is a lot of audience participation -- everyone is singing along to his songs. I had a lot of fun.

And, Jason won't admit it now, but he used to really like DC because he's the one who recommended them to me. I wish I could find his old post where he was praising them now. :-p

I plan on seeing them (him?) again in 2 weeks and I'm looking forward to it. I think he's a talented guitar player, and a good song writer. Who cares if its not "original". I think its good.

Alyoshka

My point is more that I wish I could like him. He is a pretty good guitar player and has an interesting singing voice. I just wish he used both in more interesting ways, because most of the time I'm left just thinking everything he does sounds the same and isn't particuarly interesting. I think his lyrics are nearly as bloated and self-indulgent as Creed's, which is quite an insult.

DodgingCars

I admit the self-pity thing gets old -- but I don't know that its meants to be "me me me"... as much as I think he's writing the songs for other people.

What I mean is.. I don't think he writes the music to say "Feel sorry for me".... as much as he's saying.. "I know how you feel, here's a song you can relate to".

Though, not all his lyrics (though most of them) are about how some girls dissed him

His "So Impossible" EP is cool. Its actually sort of a concept album. Starts with him meeting the girl and ends with him dating her. The guitar work is really good -- but for some reason he changed his voice, and it sounds more "whiny". And, I don't mean he's whining.. I mean.. he sings with this high pitched voice for some reason.. and its not as pleasant as his vocals on his 2 ablums.

El Scorcho

I'll admit it, I liked it at first. I listened to the CD a couple of times and thought it was decent. Then I listened to it a few more. And then a few more. And before long I snapped out of it and found myself extremely bored with his music. And then I saw him in person and wanted to shoot myself -- and that opinion has nothing to do with the crowds.

The CD is good as background music every now and then. That's about it.

Yancey

So apparently DC's video was on TRL yesterday and Carson said, "I love that song."

Here comes the backlash...

DodgingCars

DC was on TRL? hahahahahahaha