The Lyndsay Diaries

Item: The Tops of Trees Are On Fire
Author: BW Diederich

The Tops of Trees Are On Fire

(2002)

Reviewed by BW Diederich

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Label The Militia GroupDecapolisJanuary 2003

acoustic emo singer-songwriter

The Lyndsay Diaries is one dude and his trusty acoustic guitar (plus some friends and their trusty bass, drums, strings, and keyboard to name a few). This is his second full length, and it's called The Tops of Trees are on Fire. It's out on the Militia Group.

To be honest the first few times I listened to this album I couldn't get past the third song. I'm finally trapped in a car with a huge pair of headphones and a laptop. I'm forcing myself to listen to all of these songs, all the way through. I've heard them all at various times, but could never sit through them all at once.

So let me start with the stuff I can easily praise. The packaging is really gorgeous. One of the weirdest layouts I've ever run across and I like to think I've run across a lot of layouts. The book is turned 90 degrees from how most insert booklets are printed so you open it vertically instead of horizontally. It even has this weird double folded middle section. The artwork itself is simple and elegant in a fashion. Stylized trees bare by wind and snow I'm guessing with stylized smoke and fire, etc. It's pretty to look at. What else? The production is dang near impeccable. You can hear every strum beautifully and the vocals are mixed at literally the perfect level. Not too in front and not hidden by all the furious strumming, but right above the music for all the world to hear.

Okay, so the music. I can't get past the fact that I've heard Dashboard Confessional before and indeed heard Dashboard Confessional MUCH before this young man. Not to imply all "scene-ish" kids who pick up a guitar are copping Herr Carrabba, because I know without a doubt that's completely untrue. But this "style" of playing if that's what it is?, with open strumming and overly emotional lyrics has Carrabba written all over it. I mean, say what you will about there being a LONG history of folk artists and Dylan and such so Dashboard is actually just a rip off artist. I still have yet to hear someone playing the guitar and sounding like Carrabba. I'm not saying he reinvented the wheel. Heck I'm not even saying he reinvented a spoke on the wheel, I'm just saying he approached it in a different way. But this is about The Lyndsay Diaries. You see how strongly I fight that notion?

I am, no matter how it appears to many, a nice guy. I don't like to review records I don't like because I tend to think dwelling on reasons for disliking things isn't healthy to anyone. I wanted to like this, and I'm listening to it all together trying to find some small part of these songs to set them apart, but so far that venture is a colossal failure. The first song actually doesn't sound too much like Dashboard. The drum machine adds a dimension of sorts, and the keyboard drones are a nice touch throughout. Regardless though it's sort of boring in the end. Not bad and most importantly not a direct imitation, just sort of forgettable. The second track is a country tinged ballad about living in Tennessee, or so I read someplace. Nice enough and something pretty different. There are some cool lines too, this kid has a grasp on what real country is.

See though, here's where it breaks down completely. The beginning of the third track sounds exactly like the beginning of a Dashboard song, and unfortunately that ghost haunts the entire track as well as the next five tracks. At first I thought it was just that I hadn't listened to Dashboard in months and months and months so I was just drawing erroneous conclusions, but after spinning the last Dashboard full length there's no getting around the fact that these tracks sound like lost Carrabba songs. The vocals are different, I'll definitely give him that. Even with that though the overall feel is Dashboard II.

The eighth track is a nice change of pace, with a muffling electronic presence throughout and nary a moment reminds me of ye ol' Carrabba. The next track as well shows a willingness and an ability to stray from the path he set out for over half the album. It's a very simple guitar part that repeats endlessly lulling your ears. Midway through the vocals are seriously effected only to fade away and come back in real voice. It's obvious this guy has semi-original ideas in his head, and those moments where he lets them out show real promise. In the end though, the record just exudes a Dashboard clone-ish quality.

C-