Review: Dashboard Confessional – Dusk and Summer

Dashboard Confessional - Dusk and Summer

Dusk and Summer is my favorite Dashboard Confessional album. How’s that for a contrarian statement? For most fans of Dashboard, Dusk tends to occupy the lower rungs of discography rankings—if not the very bottom slot. There are obvious reasons for this lowly reputation, and they happen to correspond with the various groups of Chris Carrabba fans that exist out in the wild. The first group of fans is the “there from the beginning” group. These people were listening when Carrabba first arrived on the scene and released The Swiss Army Romance (2000) and The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most (2001). Fans in this group are incredibly attached to the stripped-down acoustic arrangements and heart-on-the-sleeve angst of those first two records. They cite Swiss Army and Places as foundational albums in the emo and pop-punk movements, label them as classics, and point to Carrabba going full-band (on 2003’s A Mark, A Mission, a Brand, a Scar) as the moment where everything went to hell.

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Yellowcard Stream New Song; Say Goodbye

Yellowcard

I knew this day was coming and I still find myself getting a little emotional finally having to make the post. After years of covering Yellowcard, it’s time to say goodbye. The band are now streaming their new single, “Rest in Peace,” and have announced that their new self-titled album will be the band’s final release. You’ll find an announcement from the band, a press release about the upcoming album, tour dates for the band’s final tour, and the song to stream, below. Pre-orders for the album are up on their website.

I’m sure there will be much to write and say about the band in the future, but for the moment I just want to say: thank you. It’s been a wild ride and I’ve loved being able to see the band’s rise to fame, comeback, and to be able to experience the past 15 or so years with your music. It’s been an absolute pleasure.

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Albums in Stores – June 24th, 2016

My favorite album coming out today is the new one from Direct Hit!, definitely give that a look if you’re looking for a good summer pop-punk album. If you hit read more you can see all the releases we have in our calendar for the week. Hit the quote bubble to access our forums and talk about what came out today, what albums you picked up, and to make mention of anything we may have missed.

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Butch Walker – “Stay Gold”

Butch Walker

Butch Walker’s new song “Stay Gold” can be heard below via Rolling Stone. His new, really-damn-good, album of the same name will be out on August 26th.

“The line in the song is, ‘In a world so black and white, boy, stay gold,'” continues Walker, “and that, to me, sums up where we are right now. Not to get political or anything, but it’s just everything is black and white — there’s no gray area. So, if there’s any advice I can give anybody it’s just to have their own fucking opinion.”

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