- Record Label: Vagrant
- Release Date: Aug 12, 2003
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Q MagazineThis is the sound of a superstar in the making. [Nov 2003, p.107]
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A Mark... dramatically improves on its predecessors, thanks to a much broader array of subject matter and a newfound emphasis on full-band arrangements that strip away--or at least drown out--his penchant for whiny navel-gazing.
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An exceptional album filled with passionate, intense, and highly personal songs.
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Musically, DC continue to improve, supplementing their acoustic, sparse approach with radio-friendly pop and tracks that subtly ebb and flow; just beware of a few lightweight and labouring moments.
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A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar will be the album of the Indian summer, warm and wistful all the way through.
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Carrabba's work is so specifically stuck in adolescence that, even if it's presented in a prettier package as it is on A Mark, it's still very difficult for anybody past sophomore year in college to really connect with his music.
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As with Carrabba's earlier work, though, the problem with A Mark is the utter lack of personalized context in which his heart-on-your-sleeve songs operate.
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Gil Norton's production has taken the band to new heights, allowing the music to have as much grit, substance, and dynamics as the lyrics.
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Entertainment WeeklyExpands the parameters of the band's earlier acoustic-based sound, with the addition of electric guitars and more complex drumming enhancing frontman Chris Carrabba's emo-lite songcraft. [15 Aug 2003, p.77]
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Most of the excesses inherent to the subject matter and songwriting style are cumulative; if you take A Mark track by track, it's quite an accomplished set of (admittedly similar) songs.
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SpinFor a 28-year-old, Carrabba remains remarkably fluent in the language of teen heartbreak. [Sep 2003, p.107]
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BlenderAs a songwriter, Carrabba is growing: this album shows more melodic and tonal variety than his previous efforts. [#18, p.118]
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UncutHe's dispensed with the grittier elements and plumped for a straightforward US college rock backing, with dismal results. [Nov 2003, p.112]
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A Mark is the first time he's let the musical intensity match the lyrics.
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If you're not already part of the Dashboard faithful, these tortured-by-love songs get to be a bit much.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 46 out of 57
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Mixed: 7 out of 57
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Negative: 4 out of 57
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Jan 4, 2020
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SamOct 21, 2007
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StrawberryOct 4, 2007