Alter the Ending
Encyclopedia
Alter the Ending is the sixth studio album
recorded by American emo
band Dashboard Confessional
, released through Interscope Records
on November 10, 2009. The album was released in both a one disc standard version and a two disc deluxe edition which contains a second disc of acoustic versions of the 12 songs on the album. The album's first single is "Belle of the Boulevard".
Alter the Ending received generally favorable reviews from critics, with some saying the album showed great maturity and others alluding to overproduction and its limitations.
The album debuted at number 19 on the Billboard 200
, number six on the Billboard Rock Albums
chart and number five on the Alternative Albums chart.
in February 2009. Dashboard Confessional announced in September 2009 that their sixth album would be titled Alter the Ending and released on November 10, 2009. They also declared they would be touring in support of the album with New Found Glory
, Meg & Dia
and Never Shout Never, before it was cancelled because of a last minute family situation. A second track, "Belle of the Boulevard", was made available for listening at Radio Sophie on September 17, and was posted on MySpace
a few days later.
The album artwork and final track listing were revealed in October, with the album's first single, "Belle of the Boulevard", being released on October 13, 2009. Upon the need to decide whether the album should be full-on electric rock project or a stripped-down acoustic piece, frontman Chris Carrabba came up with the solution that it could be both, as the album was revealed to be available in a two disc deluxe edition, with the second CD containing acoustic versions of the album. Carrabba has said that the acoustic set still features the full band, but with a minimalist approach similar to when the group was mostly a solo project in its early days. Carrabba has spoken of the positives of having both versions, even admitting to not liking one of the full-band versions and its acoustic becoming his "favorite song on the record." A short acoustic tour with New Found Glory was also announced, after the cancellation of the first attempt. Alter the Ending was made available for streaming at MySpace on November 3, before being released on November 10.
. Rolling Stone
praised the album with a four out of five rating, saying "The emo godfather's sixth album proves he's also gotten better in that span." IGN
's Brian Linder was also very positive, he commended the maturity of the record and said "Dashboard has shown on this release that they're capable of gracefully maturing and creating age-appropriate rock that stays true to their musical roots." Linder also lauded the band's deluxe edition acoustics; "Carrabba has always been a great unplugged performer, but there's just something about these songs that gives them greater emotional resonance when stripped of the traditional trappings of emo-pop." AbsolutePunk reviewer Chris Fallon gave the album 81%, offering particular approval to the album's acoustic bonus material; "Alter the Ending actually finds biggest success in a deluxe edition package". He queried the band's choice to go back into "full-fledged rock band mode", following frontman Chris Carrabba's return to his acoustic six-string to release their previous effort The Shade of Poison Trees
, he says, "Alter the Endings biggest drawback is the big production value over pre-determined substance, which hinders the potential of the weight these songs carry."
Slant Magazine
was critical of the release, giving it a two out of five rating. Reviewer Eric Henderson disparaged the lyrics, saying some songs are "marred by lyrics I find it hard to believe even a seven-year-old girl would find exciting." He also criticized the release of the deluxe edition, stating "Unfortunately, what may have in some hands come off as a remarkable display of versatility only reinforces Carrabba's limitations as a songwriter... the same song is the same song is the same song." The A.V. Club
reviewer Chris Martins awarded the album a C-, indicating he thought Dashboard had meandered down the wrong course with Butch Walker, as "he comically overproduces the damn thing."
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
recorded by American emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
band Dashboard Confessional
Dashboard Confessional
Dashboard Confessional is an American rock band from Boca Raton, Florida, led by singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba. The name of the band is derived from the song "The Sharp Hint of New Tears" from the debut album The Swiss Army Romance....
, released through Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
on November 10, 2009. The album was released in both a one disc standard version and a two disc deluxe edition which contains a second disc of acoustic versions of the 12 songs on the album. The album's first single is "Belle of the Boulevard".
Alter the Ending received generally favorable reviews from critics, with some saying the album showed great maturity and others alluding to overproduction and its limitations.
The album debuted at number 19 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, number six on the Billboard Rock Albums
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
chart and number five on the Alternative Albums chart.
Promotion and release
The first track from the album made available was "Even Now", which appeared on the NCIS soundtrackNCIS (soundtrack)
-Volume 1 Songs Used In NCIS Episodes:-Volume 2 Overview:NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack - Vol. 2 is the second soundtrack album from the television series NCIS...
in February 2009. Dashboard Confessional announced in September 2009 that their sixth album would be titled Alter the Ending and released on November 10, 2009. They also declared they would be touring in support of the album with New Found Glory
New Found Glory
New Found Glory is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida. Formed in the summer of 1997, founding members were lead vocalist Jordan Pundik, guitarists Chad Gilbert and Steve Klein, bassist Ian Grushka and drummer Joe Marino...
, Meg & Dia
Meg & Dia
Meg & Dia is an American rock band formed in 2004. It was founded by sisters Meg and Dia Frampton, and is now a five-piece act with additional members Nicholas Price, Jonathan Snyder and Carlo Gimenez....
and Never Shout Never, before it was cancelled because of a last minute family situation. A second track, "Belle of the Boulevard", was made available for listening at Radio Sophie on September 17, and was posted on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
a few days later.
The album artwork and final track listing were revealed in October, with the album's first single, "Belle of the Boulevard", being released on October 13, 2009. Upon the need to decide whether the album should be full-on electric rock project or a stripped-down acoustic piece, frontman Chris Carrabba came up with the solution that it could be both, as the album was revealed to be available in a two disc deluxe edition, with the second CD containing acoustic versions of the album. Carrabba has said that the acoustic set still features the full band, but with a minimalist approach similar to when the group was mostly a solo project in its early days. Carrabba has spoken of the positives of having both versions, even admitting to not liking one of the full-band versions and its acoustic becoming his "favorite song on the record." A short acoustic tour with New Found Glory was also announced, after the cancellation of the first attempt. Alter the Ending was made available for streaming at MySpace on November 3, before being released on November 10.
Reception
Alter the Ending was met with generally favorable reviews, receiving an aggregated score of 62 out of 100 from 6 reviews on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
praised the album with a four out of five rating, saying "The emo godfather's sixth album proves he's also gotten better in that span." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Brian Linder was also very positive, he commended the maturity of the record and said "Dashboard has shown on this release that they're capable of gracefully maturing and creating age-appropriate rock that stays true to their musical roots." Linder also lauded the band's deluxe edition acoustics; "Carrabba has always been a great unplugged performer, but there's just something about these songs that gives them greater emotional resonance when stripped of the traditional trappings of emo-pop." AbsolutePunk reviewer Chris Fallon gave the album 81%, offering particular approval to the album's acoustic bonus material; "Alter the Ending actually finds biggest success in a deluxe edition package". He queried the band's choice to go back into "full-fledged rock band mode", following frontman Chris Carrabba's return to his acoustic six-string to release their previous effort The Shade of Poison Trees
The Shade of Poison Trees
The Shade of Poison Trees is the fifth studio album recorded by the band Dashboard Confessional. The album in its entirety was posted on the band's MySpace page on September 28, 2007, and it was released on October 2, 2007 on Vagrant Records. This album was very much kept a secret, with no news of...
, he says, "Alter the Endings biggest drawback is the big production value over pre-determined substance, which hinders the potential of the weight these songs carry."
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
was critical of the release, giving it a two out of five rating. Reviewer Eric Henderson disparaged the lyrics, saying some songs are "marred by lyrics I find it hard to believe even a seven-year-old girl would find exciting." He also criticized the release of the deluxe edition, stating "Unfortunately, what may have in some hands come off as a remarkable display of versatility only reinforces Carrabba's limitations as a songwriter... the same song is the same song is the same song." The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
reviewer Chris Martins awarded the album a C-, indicating he thought Dashboard had meandered down the wrong course with Butch Walker, as "he comically overproduces the damn thing."