Unglued Reviews

What the hell happened to The Ataris? They started out as an emotional pop-punk band. Albums such as 2000ā€™s End Is Forever were full of energy and found frontman Kris Roe writing a lot of songs about relationships and how his went wrong. The lyrics were sentimental and easy to relate to: I saw myself in every song (yeah, I was an emo kid). Their last album (2003ā€™s So Long, Astoria) was in a similar vein, although it failed to resonate with me as much. Now, four years later, they finally deliver the follow-up, and everything has changed. Aside from Roe, only guitarist John Collura (himself a relatively recent addition) remains from the Astoria lineup. But Roe hasnā€™t simply replaced the rhythm section: heā€™s also added three more members ā€“ including a pianist and full-time cellist ā€“ bringing the total to a mammoth seven. Not surprisingly, the bandā€™s sound has also changed dramatically (after all, you donā€™t need a septet to play straightforward pop-punk). Their new sound is more influenced by British shoe-gazing indie rock than The Descendents ā€“ even Roeā€™s voice is all but unrecognisable. The first time I listened to the album, I had to check no less than three times that Iā€™d actually put the right disc in my CD player.

Not Capable Of Love begins the album on the right note, with a fuzzed out riff, driving drums and a memorable chorus. The passionate New Yearā€™s Day is also catchy, although not as much as the pop hooks of The Cheyenne Line. The prowling bass and hand claps of Connections Are More Dangerous Than Lies make it another winner, but these moments are the exception on the album. More often, the expanded lineup leads to impenetrably dense and morose dirges, as on the almost painfully slow Secret Handshakes or the boring And We All Become Like Smoke. When All Else Fails, It Fails begins with a bit more space but descends into the same wall of noise approach. This shoe-gazing works best on A Soundtrack For This Rainy Morning thanks to its delicate melody. On the other hand, even a lighter approach proves tedious on From The Last, Last Call.

Changes in direction arenā€™t inherently bad, but neither do they automatically indicate musical maturity. Kudos to The Ataris for trying something different, but Welcome The Night doesnā€™t really succeed ā€“ and wouldnā€™t even if divorced from the bandā€™s past.

Owen Heitmann