1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Login or Register to rate this item.

He is a boy. You are a girl. Could he make it any more obvious? Theanswer, apparently, is no--Dashboard Confessional, a.k.a.Chris Carrabba, doesn’t fool around with abstraction.Thirty-odd seconds into “Hands Down,” the first song onhis third proper album, Carrabba has already described the feel ofhis girlfriend’s smooth legs, but just in case you’renot sure he’s talking about sex, he says his friends are“so dumb” for asking if he got some, then suggests thathis gal “stay quiet…so we can get some.”

The tune raises some obvious questions--what, a good-looking youngchap with his own MTV2 Unplugged special can’t afforda hotel room? But Carrabba can’t do much in public orin private anymore without becoming the focus of intense discussionamong his many young fans, so maybe shushing his lady is theemo-icon equivalent of not talking business in the elevator. Thosefans--who sing along at the top of their lungs to every song atCarrabba’s concerts and pour out their hearts to him aftershows--are desperately protective of the guy. Many of them havebeen wishing aloud on Internet message boards that radio not playA Mark, a Mission and that their summer 2gether will last4ever.

It’s no surprise the kids are a little agitated. Vagrant,Dashboard’s original label, is releasing Mission inpartnership with Universal Music Group. The words big pushcome to mind. What’s surprising is how nonchalantly Carrabbaseems to embrace his status as emo’s firstrock-star-in-the-making. From the Jimmy Eat World–ish leadsingle “Hands Down” on, this is a glossy, fun album,the work of a fellow who’s discovered that the limelightsuits him just fine.

Only a few songs betray Dashboard’s genesis as a quietsideline to Carrabba’s old emo band, Further Seems Forever;many tunes feature no acoustic guitar at all. WhileCarrabba’s band attacks tracks like “Hey Girl”with the verve of studio vets, he cops attitude about hiscrush’s stuck-up girlfriends, saying, “Where I’mfrom / We live like it’s the latest attraction.” Idon’t know what that means, either, but it sounds kindabadass, sorta like one of those Billy Joel songs where he acts likea street tough.

Mostly, though, Carrabba is a boy in love, taking some young thingon a tour of his favorite secret places in “Carry ThisPicture” and trying to wear down another in thesoft-rockin’ “As Lovers Go.” He’s also aboy out of love, sarcastically thanking someone who dumped him for“waiting this long to show yourself” in “RapidHope Loss” and dismissing the possibility that someone couldbe happy without him in “So Beautiful” (“I heardthat you were living well / But you don’t look likeyou’re living to me”).

For a 28-year-old, Carrabba remains remarkably fluent in thelanguage of teen heartbreak. At his best, he hits on universalfeelings, as in “Screaming Infidelities” or on thisrecord’s “Ghost of a Good Thing,” which addressesa wilting relationship where “love is like a role that weplay.” But sometimes the specific emotional content of hissongs is so oblique that it’s hard to believe the Dashboardfaithful are responding to anything but the singer’sconsiderable charm.

That’s emo’s dirty little secret, though: Carrabbahimself is more important than the sentiments he expresses. If thatorder of things (which contradicts the rigorously democratic ethosof punk) isn’t a problem, then he’s the rock star foryou, an inked-up Bill Clinton with a knack for making every one ofus feel like we’re at the center of his world. To paraphrasehis brass-balled pickup line in “As Lovers Go”:You’ve got wits, you’ve got looks, you’ve gotpassion, but are you brave enough to leave with him tonight?