The Shade of Poison Trees

Production and composition

The Shade of Poison Trees had been recorded over 10 days in Florida with producer Don Gilmore, who also takes credit for the production of Dashboard Confessional's previous album, Dusk and Summer.

The Shade of Poison Trees is heralded as a return to form, so to speak, breaking away from the electric, full band sound of their previous two albums and returning to the acoustic sound that Carrabba was previously known for. However, the album is unmistakably more mature, as the songs sound similar to their more recent work, yet without the heavily produced style.

Release

On August 17, 2007, The Shade of Poison Trees was announced for release, and "Thick as Thieves" was made available for streaming via the group's Myspace account. "Thick as Thieves" was released as the first single off the album in August. On August 22, the band posted "Little Bombs" on their MySpace page. On September 7, Chris Carrabba posted a video message on his MySpace blog, inviting his fans to create a music video for the song "Thick as Thieves". The winning director wins a prize of $2,500 cash, two VIP tickets, and a "Golden Ticket" to any and all Dashboard Confessional concerts in the next year. From mid-September to mid-November, Carrabba went on a solo US tour with support from Augustana and John Ralston. On September 25, the band added "Keep Watch for the Mines" to their MySpace page.

The album in its entirety was posted on the band's MySpace page on September 28, 2007, and it was released on October 2 on Vagrant Records. "Thick as Thieves" was released to radio on October 2. In November and December, the band went a brief arena tour in the UK with Maroon 5. "These Bones" was Dashboard Confessional's second single off the album and was released December 3, 2007.

Reception

Following its release, The Shade of Poison Trees debuted at number 18 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 48,000 copies in its first week.

Track listing

All songs written by Chris Carrabba.

1. "Where There's Gold" – 2:29
2. "Thick as Thieves" – 2:19
3. "Keep Watch for the Mines" – 2:46
4. "These Bones" – 2:59
5. "Fever Dreams" – 2:30
6. "The Shade of Poison Trees" – 2:58
7. "The Rush" – 3:51
8. "Little Bombs" – 2:33
9. "I Light My Own Fires Now" – 2:54
10. "Matters of Blood and Connection" – 2:24
11. "Clean Breaks" – 2:59
12. "The Widows Peak" – 2:58

Bonus tracks

1. "The Only Gift That I Need" – 2:09*
2. "Tonight I'll Take What I Can Get" [re-recorded] (iTunes pre-order bonus track) – 2:57
3. "Tonight I'll Take What I Can Get" (original acoustic version) – 4:24*

"*"UK bonus tracks

Chart performance

The Shade of Poison Trees debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 48,000 copies in its first week.