Dashboard Confessional

“MTV Unplugged 2.0” (Vagrant)

Compare to: Further Seems Forever, Saves The Day, Sunny Day Real Estate

Rating: 6

It may be a contradiction of terms, but MTV’s level of original thought was at an all-time low when they decided to pair acoustic headcase Dashboard Confessional with its newly revived “Unplugged” series. It’s like watching your crazy uncle get drunk at Christmas for the 10th year running — still entertaining, but you’ve seen it all before. Even Chris Carraba, the only permanent member of the band, admits that the idea may not be the freshest.

“This is ‘Unplugged’,” Carraba says at the album’s beginning. “‘Dashboard Confessional Unplugged’ — which may be redundant.”

Whereas the concept may not be original musically, the two-disc set — a CD and DVD packaged together and sold at the cost of a single album — is a concept more record companies should embrace.

Although Dashboard is well-known for its emotional live shows, the concept doesn’t translate well to a recording. The album itself is really nothing more than a poorly mixed bootleg of a concert, with crowd noise outweighing Carraba’s voice on every track. The fans may know every word to every song, but most consumers don’t want to pay $15 to hear random people singing Dashboard’s material.

The album may falter for its lack of production and originality, but it’s these same two traits that salvage the DVD, and thus the package as a whole, from being completely forgettable. The visual element of Carraba, perched on a stool in the middle of MTV studios and surrounded by his adoring fans, fills in the missing info that the CD leaves out.

Even the songs themselves seem to translate better to DVD. Carraba’s tortured vocals reach a new level of emotion on crowd favorites like “Remember to Breathe” and “Screaming Infidelities.”

On its own, the CD itself is a rehashing of old material, without a single track from Dashboard’s upcoming album, “A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar.” But combined with the DVD, this album takes on a whole new meaning, and shows the rest of the recording industry a thing or two about marketing and ingenuity.

t.A.T.u. “200 KM/H In The Wrong Lane” (Interscope)

Compare to: Robyn, Sarina Paris, DJ Sammy

Rating: 3

They’re 17 years old. They’re Russian. They’re recording some of the catchiest dance tunes since Ace of Base. And they’re dating — each other.

Intrigued? So is the rest of the world.

The dynamic duo of Lena Katina and Julia Volkove have been causing quite a bit of controversy in other parts of the world, scaring off over-protective parents with their very public lesbian relationship, age (which seems even younger in their high-pitched song vocals) and innuendo-ridden electronica songs.

Now the pair has arrived in the United States, with hopes of creating the same media circus here as they have across the globe.

Unfortunately, the media circus is all that t.A.T.u has to work with. Songs like “Not Gonna Get Us” and “Show Me Love,” with risqu‚ lyrics and beats to match their steamy image, make it obvious that the tawdry sexuality of the t.A.T.u girls isn’t an accident — it’s part of their business strategy.

The first single, “All the Things She Said,” cements the girls’ questionable pop persona even further into the minds of the listener. With lyrics like “When they stop and they stare/ Don’t worry me/ Cause I’m feeling for her/ What she’s feeling for me,” it’s apparent that the girls of t.A.T.u want more than to be able to have a relationship with each other. They want to use it to sell albums.

Even if the gimmicky nature of this album is ignored in the lyrics and song titles, the shallowness of this album can’t be missed. Although there are 12 tracks on the album, only eight of them can be considered individual songs, as remixes and poorly done extended versions of previous songs make up the last one-fourth of the recording.

That said, the small handful of original songs that actually make it to the album are catchy. Too catchy. It’s nearly impossible, after a few listens, to make it through the day without getting the siren-like vocals and danceable beats caught in your head permanently.

In the end, though, even t.A.T.u.’s finely tuned public image isn’t enough to make up for a lack of good dance pop tunes on this album.

The Exies “Inertia” (Virgin)

Compare to: Stone Temple Pilots, OK Go, Chevelle

Rating: 6

The promotional sticker on “Inertia” introduces The Exies to the rock-listening public as a “postmodern” band. While the term has definite connotations in the visual art world, it’s a bit confusing to pin down in the world of guitars and drums.

Judging from this disc, a “postmodern” rock band takes the attitude and song structure of glam rock, runs it through a few tech-marvel filters, adds some synthesizers, and lets it run loose.

This record lives its life on several edges, but once or twice, it runs the risk of being associated with that deservedly dreadful genre tag of nu-metal.

On “No Secrets” lead singer and guitarist Scott Stevens says “I found my empathy in your abuse” and asks, “Am I nothing that’s real or true to you?” Lyrics like these detract from the other tracks, where life is a rowdy rock fest instead of a self-loathing pity party.

Those songs aside, “Inertia” is an album full of tight, hook-packed ditties, a model in rock ‘n’ roll efficiency. Only one of the eleven tracks on the record breaks the three-and-a-half minute restraints of the perfect pop song.

“My Goddess,” the first track on the album, is a marked improvement over “Baby’s Got a New Revelation,” a song from their self-titled release — quite a feat for a first song and album full of in-your-face attitude and firecracker-explosive rock edge.

At times, “Inertia” also borders on overproduction. Producer Matt Serletic’s touch seems a bit heavy-handed once in a while. “My Goddess” and a couple of other tracks feature a few vocal stutter-steps that obviously aren’t natural, and the use of a vocorder and automatic pitch correction is noticeable.

Though it is maybe commonplace in music today, it’s hard to tell whether or not its extreme use adds to or detracts from the record.

“Inertia,” while not groundbreaking, isn’t anything to snub your nose at. If this “postmodern” movement is going somewhere, The Exies are at the forefront.

Troubled Hubble “Penturbia” (Latest Flame)

Compare to: Modest Mouse, The Dismemberment Plan, Built to Spill

Rating: 7

Troubled Hubble is unlike any band you’ve ever heard, unless you listen to Dismemberment Plan. Even if you have no idea what I’m talking about, they’re still worth taking a look at.

Granted, the resemblance to the aforementioned indie-spaz kings is more than noticeable, They may wear their influences on their sleeves, but their songwriting talent makes them anything but copycats.

“Penturbia,” the band’s third offering, features some of the same tracks as their 2001 release “Broken Airplanes.” The danceable jam “Airplanes” makes a reappearance, as does “Migraine.” The inclusion of these tracks makes “Penturbia” a great starting point for anyone just discovering this band.

The vocals of guitarists Chris Otepka and Josh Miller lend themselves well to the overall tone of the record. Their rambunctious approach to harmony and delivery should help turn around a few cynics.

Nate and Andrew Lanthrum form a rhythm section that can only have stemmed from years spent playing together — assumedly the same last name is more than a coincidence, yet the quirky foursome claim to have met in a particle accelerator at the local research lab.

Troubled Hubble’s style makes a more prominent showing of maturity on this disc. The lyrics are bizarre, yet fit well with the song styles. The opening track “Understanding Traffic” features a refrain of “I’m light and I’m heavy/ I’m here when your ready mentality is changed/ I stay the same/ Not a bike not a worm/ I’m a car, I’m a germ on the highway.”

“Migraine,” a song apparently written about the frustration of seeing one’s “Mom on her knees/ Begging Lord oh Lord/ Please take away this pain from me,” due to the discomfort suffered at the hands of a headache. Does anyone else smell a possible Excedrin sponsorship?

For anyone looking for a good little light-hearted record that can make you dance but still has something to say, Troubled Hubble is definitely worth your time.