After nearly two years without an album, The Ataris released their major label debut, “So Long, Astoria” on March 4 with Columbia Records. The album is an interesting break from their earlier work with Kung Fu Records.
This is The Ataris’ fifth full-length album. The band also has worked on many other compilation albums with the Kung Fu Records label. The album centers on the theme of memories, according to The Ataris’ Web site. The lyrics of the title track, “So Long, Astoria” tells the story of the album.
“Life is only as good as the memories we make/ And I’m taking back what belongs to me,” sings Kris Roe in the album’s title track “So Long, Astoria.”
The first thing fans will notice is the extremely polished sound The Ataris shot for with this album. Rather than the rough sound of its first few albums, the band sounds as if they put a lot of work into this album. However, some fans might miss the somewhat unpolished sound of their earlier work.
“It’s kind of a more cheesy pop-punk than what I’ve heard from The Ataris,” said graphic design freshman Drew Rielley. “It’s good, but it seems a little over-produced.”
The polished and more melodic sounds of this album make it seem more mainstream than The Ataris’ earlier work. However, the band members continue their tradition of solid guitars and lyrics that fans have come to expect.
With a new major label comes new recognition for the band. The relatively unknown band made an appearance on MTV’s TRL yesterday, according to www.mtv.com.
The lyrics are standard Ataris ranging anywhere from songs about girls to growing up without a father. Roe belts them out with his signature intensity.
“I guess when it comes down to it/ Being grown up isn’t half as fun as growing up,” sings Roe in “In This Diary.” “These are the best days of our lives/ The only thing that matters is just following your heart/ And eventually you’ll get it right.”
The lyrics and overall solid mixing of the album proves The Ataris are becoming more experienced as musicians and putting more time in at the studio.
From the slow, heartfelt sounds of “My Reply” to the hard-hitting rock anthems of “All You Can Ever Learn Is What You Already Know,” the album features something all rock fans can enjoy.
This album seems to be more adventurous for The Ataris. The album experiments more with vocals and even tries out the synthesizer for songs like “Summer 79.” The back-up vocals by John Collura, the second guitarist, complement Roe’s vocal style well.
The album features a cover of Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer” and bonus tracks of The Ataris’s old work redone, such as “I Won’t Spend Another Night Alone.”
“I’m not much of a fan of that genre of music, but it’s pretty good,” said graphic design sophomore Ross Lawrence. “However, it does sound a lot like the rest of the stuff coming out today.”
The band currently is touring to promote the new album. Unfortunately for fans, the closest they are playing to Baton Rouge is Austin, Texas.
For more information about The Ataris or to see some videos by The Ataris, check out their official Web site at www.theataris.com.