By definition, emo-rockers join bands to blend in rather than braving it alone. Like Rivers Cuomo in Weezer, Chris Carabba seeks similar sanctuary, but ultimately it fails to diminish the amount of attention he receives.
Carrabba - currently the David Beckham of US music - is a heavily tattooed figurehead, pin-up, over sensitive type and talented nice guy (we're not sure about his ability from free kicks though). In short, he's become a star for telling it like it is. Life, love and loss take their toll and doesn't Carrabba just know it. Take a listen to 'A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar', and you will soon too.
His 2001 breakthrough, 'The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most' (he's not one for snappy titles) and an Unplugged LP may have unearthed Carrabba but 'A Mark...' will bring several million more patients into his open therapy sessions.
You won't be surprised to learn that this LP is built on pure emotion but not as you'd expect. When it comes to trials and tribulations of the heart, Carrabba is still an emotional car-crash - the Sex In The City girls would eat him for brunch and he manages to make the jibing Chris Martin look like a cock-sure Robbie Williams. Having said that he's definitely coming on, getting a grip if you will, showing signs of waking up from his relationship nightmares, mending his fragile soul and stepping back from the edge of despair.
One step at a time though. 'A Mark...' is an album that's one dodgy fling away from a breakdown while simultaneously being one perfect marriage away from blissful happiness. It's a fine line but there's an undercurrent of hope, of wanting to believe, of realistic optimism. "For so long I thought I was asylum bound/but just seeing you makes me think twice," he realises in 'As Lovers Go', continuing, "I've been so lost but now I believe" in 'Carry This Picture'.
When Chris 'sh*t-my-glass-is-half-empty-I'm-doomed' Carrabba gets over his self-doubt, 'A Mark...' unravels as a bouncing-back record, castigating overblown egos of shallow lovers with gritty realism and everyman lyrics. "Cause now that I can see you/I don't think you're worth a second glance", he sings on 'Rapid Hope Loss'. That's the spirit. "I am so resilient/I recover quickly/I'll convince you soon that I am fine" ('Bend And Not Break') is the kind of semi-confident statement not usually associated with DC, helping reinforce his malleable backbone.
Musically, DC continue to improve, supplementing their acoustic, sparse approach ('Ghost Of A Good Thing') with radio-friendly pop ('Hands Down', 'As Lovers Go') and tracks that subtly ebb and flow ('Morning Calls'), just beware of a few lightweight and labouring moments.
Chris Carrabba might not claim to have all the answers but the old adage 'no pain, no gain' fits his band perfectly. Success could either send him further into his shell or cure him of his insecurities forever. He'll know soon enough.
