Dashboard Confessional: The Shade of Poison Trees : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

On last year's "Dusk and Summer," Chris Carrabba's band churned out vast anthems buffed to perfection. The record was pretty, but its sales figures weren't, so Carrabba's back to the stripped-down sound that first made him a star. It's a worthwhile exercise, and The Shade of Poison Trees easily demonstrates Carrabba's gifts for writing elegant melodies and plucking teenage heartstrings. "Fever Dreams," a bouncy doodle of a tune, bops to a Postal Service beat, and gentle synths finish off the poppy will-I-still-love-you-tomorrow track "The Rush," but Carrabba mostly sticks to the hard-strummed acoustic guitar, drums and harmonies combo that best showcases his lithe upper register, like the superb opener, "Where There's Gold . . . ." Though he sings about trust-fund preppies and failed careers in addition to aching hearts, Poison Trees shows Carrabba still can't help peeking back at his past. This time, though, emo's dashing hero reaches back for the intimate sounds of his youth, rather than just faded diary pages.