Dashboard Confessional: Could Hell be Any Worse?

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As much as I loathe, say, Destiny's Child, I think I've found a new object for my considerable ire. Dashboard Confessional, the "fresh new face of Emo" warbling unbelievably cloying, self-pitying garbage in a high-piped dog-whistle of a voice about infidelity while gazing like a wounded baby seal into the camera. Is this not the veritable antithesis of all that credibly rocks?

Also, whether Dashboard Confessional is truly representative of the genre or not, what's with the term "Emo"? I mean, I gather it's meant to signify the 'emotional' quality of the music, but surely unbriddled anger and nihistic hatred (which typify the music at the polar end of the spectrum to that which is considered 'Emo') are just as valid in the emotional department as doe-eyed puppy love and plaintive earnestness. Thus, shouldn't this genre be dubbed "Sensitive-Core" or "Earnest-Core" as opposed to simply "Emo-Core"?

Lastly, does anyone remember a D.C. band on Roadrunner records called Senator Flux (which briefly featured Jeff Nelson of Minor Threat on drums)? And does Dashboard Confessional not boast an almost eerie simillarity to them? Or am I just high off magic marker fumes again?

― Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

New poll: is it funnier when he says "Her hair is everywhere, screaming infidelities," or when he says "I wish I could be anywhere, with anyone, making out,"?

― nick a., Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

When he plays live, he does so silently; all the kids sing the words for him. Time just did an emo piece, now even Weezer is an emo band.

(Cut & paste, I can't do the link thing...)

http://www.time.com/time/sampler/article/0,8599,238603,00.html

― Andy, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Weezer were ALWAYZ an emo band. Mutation: how is their new album anyway?

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Time: "no rap emo yet"
Me: "What about Atmosphere?"

(Then again, Atmosphere doesn't want to make me gouge out my eardrums with a tack hammer like Jimmy Eat World or all those other whinecore bands.)

― Nate Patrin, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

it's still weird, sterl, but I can actually listen to it, cautiously.

― Josh, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

http://www.oleswanson.com/images/emo.jpg

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Time: "no rap emo yet"

Not heard The Eminem Show yet?

― Tom, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

D.C. are truly horrific, but they've been playing some neo-emo band on MTV2 called Thursday that's even worse. I'm not sure what the audience for this kind of whiny shit is, but I'll gladly volunteer my services towards their extermination By Any Means Necessary.

― Kris, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Eminem Show rap-emo? Hm. Well, he does whine.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

(Tracer stole my joke!)

― bnw, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

THURSDAY! CROSS OUT THE EYES! BLELKAJLKJLGAJLKSHLKHKF! CROSS OUT THE EYES! GLDJGLJDSLUCVYWE! #@&*^#%&!*#&*!&*&*^!!!

It's amazing what an investment in one's PR efforts will achieve.

― Daver, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Is Thursday the band that does the song that goes "I feel so callous/So lost, unfaithful/Let's start over, let's start over"? I actually like that song. It has a cool drum line.

― sundar subramanian, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh never mind, that's Boxcar Racer.

― sundar subramanian, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

That's the drummer from Blink 182!

― Kris, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Re: Emo Rap, I think a fair proportion of the Anticon output could be classified as such.

― Ollee, Wednesday, 22 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"I can't say that you love me, so I cry and I'm hurting." Now that's emo.

I will now gently place the gun under my chin and pull the trigger.

― Chris, Wednesday, 22 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Is there ANYONE at ILM that likes Dashboard and their ilk? I would love to see a passionate, articulate defense of this stuff, just 'cause I don't think I've ever seen one.

― charlie va, Thursday, 23 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, but Thursday is good...

― Kate, Friday, 24 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

In the Thursday video it looks like the dude has braces--how emo is that?

― adam, Saturday, 25 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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