Better than ever

Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba has grown up, and it shows.

“Alter the Ending” combines the best of everything that defines Dashboard Confessional and gives fans a chance to rediscover the quartet. Carrabba’s emotionally charged lyrics carry the album, but “Ending” works because it also incorporates the full band more than ever before.

For those who grew up listening to Dashboard’s older stuff, disc two of the album’s deluxe version is a godsend. Here, the band plays an all-acoustic version of disc one. Not a bad idea, considering that was what made Dashboard famous in the first place.

Carrabba’s lyrical theme for the album is the ever-elusive idea of fate, one that came to him after a serious accident left his sister in a coma. With strong lyrics and a stellar musical backdrop, tracks like “Belle of the Boulevard” and “Everybody Learns from Disaster” are must-downloads.

While these may not be songs to sing along to, the lyrics are more mature and the music is more complex. Together they are undoubtedly euphonically pleasing.