Album: The Swiss Army Romance Release Date: 11/14/2000 Length: 39:25 Label: MCA Rating: 2.9/7.2 |
|
|
|
|
| Track Listing | |
1. Screaming Infidelities (3:33)  (Luke) |
|
| 2. The Sharp Hint of New Tears (3:02) | |
3. Living in Your Letters (3:40)  (Luke) |
|
| 4. The Swiss Army Romance (3:06) (Dan) |
|
| 5. Turpentine Chaser (3:20) (Dan) |
|
| 6. A Plain Morning (3:41) | |
| 7. Age Six Racer (2:21) | |
| 8. Again I Go Unnoticed (2:24) (Luke) |
|
| 9. Ender Will Save us All (5:13) (Dan) |
|
| 10. Shirts and Gloves (4:56) | |
| 11. Hidden Track (4:03) (Dan, Luke) |
|
| Review | |
| Dan: It was about two years ago that I first heard Dashboard Confessional. My friend bought The Swiss Army Romance from a used CD store because the CD was six dollars and my friend likes cheap music. We listened to it a lot over the summer, and he got really into it, playing guitar and all. I thought it was all right, but it wasn't until I got the disc for myself and really listened to it that I began to fully appreciate Chris Carrabba's emotional lyrics and unique guitar tunings. The Swiss Army Romance isn't a classic album, or some brilliant concept album, but it's great emotional music for the lovesick kid in all of us. | |
| Luke: It was about two months ago that I first heard Dashboard Confessional. Dan, among others, recommended a few of their songs because they were excessively whiny and sappy, and Dan likes that sort of music. I listened to the songs a few times, since I didn't want to pass judgment too quickly. I thought they were pretty bad, but it wasn't until listening to the full Swiss Army Romance album that I began to fully appreciate Chris Carrabba's cheesy lyrics and bland guitar playing. The Swiss Army Romance is not a classic album, that is for sure. Why anyone would even pay six dollars for it is beyond me. | |
| Dan: Touché. Many people, like Luke, are unable to appreciate the high school simplicity inherent in Dashboard Confessional lyrics. For whatever reason, they just can not allow themselves to be lulled into repeating things such as "I'm missing your laugh / How did it break? / And when did your eyes begin to look fake? / I hope you're as happy as you're pretending." | |
| Luke: Actually, I would not mind Dashboard Confessional at all if this sort of lyric showed up every once in a while. While I cannot identify with this particular line, I am sure some people would find that it strikes home (though the thought of a tenth grade high-schooler playing this tune and nodding along as Carrabba passionately shares these profound thoughts strikes me as quite comical). The problem, however, with The Swiss Army Romance is that the entire album is filled to the brim with lyrics like these. At some point, you have to ask yourself when this type of songwriting turns from being a touching look at lost love to an upper-class white guy in his twenties who comes across as spoiled and far too self-pitying for his own good. For me, this point occured approximately halfway through the first track. | |
| Dan: Luke is right in at least one respect -- many of the lyrics on Swiss Army portray Chris as a guy down on his luck who is getting back at his lost loves by telling the whole world he's hurt. But this is just one way to look at it. If you examine the album as a whole, it is an ode to relationships. The average person can likely identify a lot stronger with tales of a lost romance, or a significant other who wasn't really there, or simply being away from the one you love, all things examined within The Swiss Army Romance. When I listen to the album, I don't necessarily hear the voice of a guy who's whining, I hear the voice of a guy who's hurt, and whose problems I've chosen to listen to. It is like being able to read someone's journal and seeing things you've written yourself. Touching and slightly reassuring, from start to finish. | |
| Luke: Well, I am starting to realize that we could argue this point all day without getting anywhere, so I think we will have to agree to disagree in regards to Carrabba's songwriting. (Here is some more of his gushing brilliance: "You're dying to look cute in your blue jeans / But you're plastic just like everyone / You're just like everyone", "I think I miss you most / On Wednesdays and Saturdays", "These roads go on forever / And so do you and I", and my personal favourite, "I'm reading your note over again / There's not a word that I comprehend / Except when you signed it / 'I will love you always and forever'" -- you make the call.) | |
| Moving on, I would like to talk for a moment about the music which accompanies the above lyrics. What we have on this album, in case you were unsure, is Carrabba, by himself, playing an acoustic guitar and singing. There are no drums, no bass, or anything of the sort. There are some backing vocals on a couple of the tracks, but this is essentially a solo endeavour. Now, while this is not usually a good thing, I will acknowledge that there have been plenty of solo albums which have turned out quite well, so it is not this fact alone which turns me off The Swiss Army Romance. No, the problem here is that the instrumental half of the album is essentially just there to support the lyrical half. All of the guitar chords are played by the book, offering little in the way of surprises or innovations. If given a few weeks of practice, nearly anyone could play the record's eleven tracks. While this may be a positive for some people, it leaves me wondering why this guy is famous and dozens like him, perhaps more talented, are stuck going nowhere. | |
| Dan: Luke has a definite point there. The hardest thing about playing a Dashboard Confessional song is figuring out what the tuning is. Once you're past that, it's not difficult at all to begin strumming the songs yourself. | |
| However, despite the fact that it is Luke's major problem with Dashboard Confessional, I think that it is the simplicity in Carrabba's music that draws me to him more than anything. The fact that anyone can play this music and pretty much anyone could come up with these songs is what is neat about it. It's not something that took eight months to produce in a studio while they touched up the vocals and made sure every guitar sounded perfect. This album likely took a week to record, if that. And while it is incredibly simplistic in both lyrical content and music, it is a record I'd invite into the collection of anyone who has ever been a teenager "in love". That's what this album is really about for me, being young, dumb, and in love and expressing it through music that tells the tale blantantly for all to hear. Whether you want to hear about someone else's romantic endeavors is truly up to you. | |
| Luke: Obliged by AoN procedure to honour two of the songs on The Swiss Army Romance with a "thumb-up" at the top of this review, I elected to dub "Screaming Infidelities" and "Again I Go Unnoticed" as my two favourite songs on this disc. If you are interested in trying out Dashboard Confessional, I would recommend listening to these two songs first. They are the only ones on the record that were catchy enough to stick in my head after repeated listening, breaking up the monotony of the rest of the CD. (Dan claims that he can hear a difference in all eleven tracks -- I have my doubts). You won't avoid the sappy lyrics by hearing these two songs, omnipresent as they are, but if you think you can stomach them, don't let me stop you from grabbing a copy of The Swiss Army Romance. But don't say I didn't warn you. | |
| Luke's Rating: 2.9 | |
| Dan's Rating: 7.2 | |
| - Luke Adams & Dan Kricke |
Site design and content by Luke Adams, unless otherwise indicated.
