Best Ones of the Best Ones

Twenty years after their 2000 debut, beloved emo act Dashboard Confessional issued a greatest-hits collection, Best Ones of the Best Ones. Taking its name from lyrics on "Stolen," the 20-song set culls tracks from their seven studio albums, a pair of EPs, and an endearing MTV Unplugged performance, providing a perfect snapshot of the band's career and an ideal place to start for any budding fan of Chris Carrabba's earnest, angsty style. When they emerged in the early 2000s, Dashboard's songs were derided by non-fans as overly sensitive and whiny, the pinnacle of the emo wave that soon splintered apart as the scene's fans veered toward both hardcore and indie sounds. Yet at the time of its release in 2020, the songs on this compilation remain relevant and relatable in their simplicity and focus on heartbreak and undying devotion. Their 2001 sophomore effort, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, receives the most representation here, with a full quarter of the album's runtime taken