Kristin owns a music promotion company: Playback Press. She and I have played around with the idea of me writing album reviews and the like for her subscribers. After a moment of inspiration today, I decided to dust off my copy of Dashboard Confessional's "A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar" and give it a listen.

I haven't really listened to this album in a long, long time. I can proudly say that I've been a fan of Dashboard Confessional for over five years now; there are few other artists whose work speaks to me as loudly and as clearly as Dashboard Confessional's. I've heard every album, every EP, been to a couple of shows up and down the East Coast (I plan to add to this total this summer)... you could call it an obsession, but what do you do when the music becomes something more than music?

When this album hit the stores waaay back in 2003, I was still in the throes of a honeymoon period -- Dashboard's music was still new to me; consequently, new music from a new artist that I felt so strongly about could only excite me all the more.

I've probably owned at least four copies of this album on compact disc, and I've had the mp3s on ALL of the computers I've personally used since its release. It's been stored on both of the iPods I've owned -- a blue iPod mini and my current black iPod nano -- and it has the distinct honor of being the only album I've taken the time to rate.

Needless to say, I love this album. And when I say love here, I don't mean "love" in the sense of "I love steak." I mean "love" in the sense of "I love life." Call it corny, but this album could very well be the soundtrack to my life. The frustration, the aggression, the serenity, the anxiety, the overwhelming sense of happiness, the bitterness... it's all here, rolled into a neat, little, thirteen track package.

Dashboard's got a total of nine releases -- five full-length albums, three EPs, and one "Unplugged" live album which was produced and released by MTV. Many popular music fans would say that The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most is the album which best represents Dashboard's sound; hardcore, die-hard Dashboard fans would say The Swiss Army Romance. Me? I'd say A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar is better suited for this particular role. Looking at where the band is now, in terms of their current sound, it was this album which turned the tide for the future of Dashboard Confessional -- if left to their acoustic roots, they surely would have remained a purely underground sound, enjoyed by few and unknown to many. This album gave Dashboard Confessional the slight mainstream edge they'd need to last for a very long time in the cutthroat world that is the popular music scene. Say what you want to say about the music industry, but sometimes you've got to compromise a principle or two if you want to stick around and continue to reach not only your current fanbase, but a wider fanbase as well.

With all of that said, what say we review some tracks?

1. "Hands Down"

Oh, "Hands Down," how I've come to both love and loathe thee. This is it: the biggest single Dashboard's ever had. Yes, bigger than "Screaming Infidelities." Way bigger. This song was originally featured in acoustic form on the "So Impossible EP," and when Chris Carrabba -- Dashboard's Don -- decided to doll it up with a full band sound and production that didn't sound like it was done with a four-track recorder and a case of Red Bull, many Dashboard fans were taken aback by it. This was not the "Hands Down" they had come to love... this was a "Hands Down" that anybody could love, and for fans who considered Dashboard Confessional as their own private secret, this new development was a pretty scary concept. As it turns out, we've got a shining example of a great song written by an extremely talented artist that anybody would be crazy not to enjoy immensely. Well done, Don Carrabba.

2. "Rapid Hope Loss"

Something's off about this particular track. Maybe it's the tempo of the song -- following from the rapid pace of "Hands Down," its syncopated rhythm seems to be slightly non sequitur. The characteristic flow of Carrabba's songwriting is a little lost here -- if there's one thing that can be said about Dashboard Confessional's music, it's that it's very singable. This particular track? Not so much. It's more an anthem better left to mixed CDs made for a breakup. While not entirely skippable, it's certainly not one I'll find myself singing along to in the car.

3. "As Lovers Go"

Many people don't realize this, but this track was featured on the soundtrack to "Shrek 2." This song is all about aural pleasure -- a funky rhythm, enticing lyrics... you'll find your foot involuntarily tapping along at some point, I guarantee. It's playful and charming, producing grins and hums. A neat little track that's entirely enjoyable.

4. "Carry This Picture"

You listen to this song, and you're instantly transported to a dusky beach scene. You can almost hear the waves crashing against the shore and the gulls cawing overhead. You can almost see the boats floating along with the rolling tide. It's not a fist-pumping, adrenaline-flowing bevy of rockness, but it fills a certain niche that not many songs can fill -- a purely poetic work produced by a rock band. Eat your heart out, Def Leppard.

5. "Bend and Not Break"

Is it VHS tapes or movie theaters that once featured a decidedly male voice announcing to the audience "And now for our feature presentation?" In any case, this is the feature presentation of this album. It's iconic. It's anthemic. It's not only singable, but screamable. It's brilliant and full and rich and... it's probably the perfect song. In the midst of "Hands Down" and "As Lovers Go," which were the more popular tracks that people seemed to latch onto, "Bend and Not Break" steals the show from the opening riff to the very last chord. Its honest proclamation can be appreciated by even the hardest of hearts -- who can't relate (or wouldn't want to relate) to the character in this song? In all honesty, "fifth track" has become synonymous with "Bend and Not Break" in my mind.

6. "Ghost of a Good Thing"

It's here that the album begins its trek downhill from the climactic "Bend and Not Break." In fact, you almost get the feeling that two albums were fused together -- the first five tracks and the seven tracks which follow (I realize I'm leaving out the thirteenth track -- you'll find out why later). This song serves as an intermediary, neither singable nor ever really enjoyable. The lyrics are difficult to decipher -- you're never really sure how to apply its metaphors, and the task of doing so can get a little tiresome. Definitely not my favorite track.

7. "Am I Missing"

The lyrics are the high point here. The music is mediocre -- the dynamic fluctuation is nice, as you get tiny little bridges instead of one big, long bridge. The sound is just too busy; at best, it's erratic... at worst, it sucks. However, in light of that, the lyrics really do stand out, so it's not a total loss.

8. "Morning Calls"

I think Mike Marsh decided to go crazy with his drum kit here -- toms and cymbals galore! The tempo drags slightly; the vocals are amazing. You get the sensation that Chris' diaphragm was exhausted after singing this song. The lyrics are okay; the sound is okay. Things just don't jell as well as they should here. Man, Mike really felt like wailing away at his kit here.

9. "Carve Your Heart Out Yourself"

Here we go... after a few not necessarily enjoyable tracks, the album picks back up. Your head starts to bob again. Your foot starts to tap. You start to hum. This is a poppy little number, isn't it? It's bouncy and light. It's a little ironic how the overall sound of the song doesn't really seem to fit the opening lyrics, but by the end of the tune, everything seems to fit quite nicely.

10. "So Beautiful"

This is a cool track: It's deceptively bitter. Listen to the lyrics. Chris throws the egotism that so many women seem to exhibit back in their faces like so much dirt, but he does it in such a way that you get the idea that the women not only like it... they asked for it. Sometimes you've got to hold a mirror up to someone's face to make them really see the reality of things, and that's exactly what this song attempts to do. In my opinion? Mission accomplished.

11. "Hey Girl"

Just as the title suggests, this song is supremely flirtatious. The confidence found in the lyrics is irresistible. Not very singable, but enjoyable and grin-inducing all the same.

12. "If You Can't Leave It Be, Might As Well Make It Bleed"

Yes, that is the title of the song. Yes, I took the time to take care of my necessaries before sitting back down to review these final two tracks. They are simply amazing. In the world of people who sing along to songs, this song is not for the faint of heart -- you'll probably come away with a sore throat and a pain in your abdominal region, but 'tis not all for naught: Talk about cathartic singing. This song is angry. It's bitter. It's aggressive. It's an aural assault to the nth degree. No room for empathetic crooning here. No place for whining or crying. This is about muscle tension. This is about pounding, throbbing veins. This is about self-acceptance. Chris' voice is in its most raw, awe-inspiring form here, which is the perfect lead-in for the next track. Speaking of which...

13. "Several Ways To Die Trying"

Aside from featuring one of the most awesome song titles in the history of song titles... aside from having a song length of 6:06... "Several Ways To Die Trying" is a masterpiece. It's an epic, goosebumps-inducing work of aural art. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's utterly paralyzing. Not only do you want to listen to the song in its entirety, you feel the need to listen. You need to see what comes next because what's been coming so far is just so damned GOOD. The guitars co-exist in a beautiful harmonic structure, playing off of each other in a musical game of cat and mouse. Chris' voice varies from a whisper to a scream, and all of the drama that such an event can muster up is experienced throughout the song. That is, of course, until you reach the final primal scream, which is held for a solid sixteen seconds before it segue ways into the outro, which is an awesome sound to behold in and of itself. All of this high drama is tied up in a subdued echo of the song's main theme, and you're left feeling that every sense in your body has now been heightened.

When it comes down to it, should everyone own this album? No. However, if you were to ask if me if everyone should own an extremely vintage bottle of Chateau Lafite, I'd give the same reply. That's what this album is to the world of music: a rarity which should be savored by discerning and knowledgeable palates.

Credit: T.J. Kriston