Okay, maybe not genius, but there’s this guy
neil. from Boston (I believe) who has some demos recorded. It’s basically him, an acoustic and a violin. It’s really good. Obviously you could immediately compare it to Dashboard Confessional, but it carries with it something that DC has always lacked, namely composition. While DC can write a good acoustic pop/rock song, he has rarely been able to nail the art of a well composed, truly emotive song. Catchy phrases and poppy choruses carried his albums to popularity and good for him. neil. has a pretty good grasp of what makes a song re-listenable for the right reasons. Those being lyrics that actually can pull you in, music that is dynamic and fits the personality of the song and the tamber of his voice, and a sense he isn’t trying to force you to commiserate with him. In fact, these sound like poems that should have never seen the light of day. Which is good. It’s what you expect to hear out of good emo. Which
isn’t an oxymoron, although somedays it feels like it could/should be.
So check it out, and drop him an email. He’s a nice guy, and I know he’ll appreciate hearing the comments/praise/criticisms that you have.
justinª