Further Seems Forever

The Moon is Down (Tooth & Nail)
by Tim Den

Armed with a voice that captures Jonah Matranga’s melodic moments and a fetish for Shai Hulud tempos, Chris Carrabba is impressive as a songwriter and frontman, no matter if it’s just him and a guitar or with his former emo band. Dashboard Confessional, his current main gig, showcases acoustic ditties that allow his voice to take flight over all the melodic possibilities of songwriting. Throwing occasional left turns into the dynamics, he proves that Johnny Cash was no fluke: You really don’t need more than one man’s vision to floor an entire room. Further Seems Forever, the band he quit to concentrate on Dashboard Confessional (which also features ex-members of Shai Hulud and Strongarm), also benefited from these characteristics, albeit beefed up with excellent musicianship. The drummer’s got mad chops and crazy timing, the guitar players whip out dizzying arpeggios, all coming together to cradle Carrabba’s sweet tenor as he soars into the skies with his sorrowful notes. For those who have been in on the secret from back when he fronted The Agency in South Florida, Carrabba’s knack for interestingly-arranged output is no surprise. For the rest of the country, here are two incredible works of melody at play.
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