Blink 182, Good Charlotte, Sum 41, Yellowcard, Simple Plan, Mest etc ……. a line of Green Day wannabes growing longer with every intake of breath. Yet, other than Good Charlotte, there is only one band that have earned the god given right to be spoken of in the same sentence as Green Day. That band hit the scene with the release of their album ‘Blue Skies, Broken Hearts ….. Next 12 Exits’ in 1999 through Kung Fu Records. That album, however infectious, was nothing compared to the success they would see with the follow up album ‘So Long, Astoria’ (and no that’s not in reference to the London gig venue). Released in 2003 through Sony Music, ‘So Long Astoria’ came full to the brim with great lyrics and hooks so infectious that you wouldn’t want anything else. Oh ….. And the name of the band ………… The Ataris.
Hailing from San Diego, The Ataris are one of those bands that had to work their ass off just to get noticed in the world of corporate rock. Starting off life on a minor record label (Kung Fu), but of course, as soon as people noticed the talent they had, Sony came in to the frame. It is a recurring story that in fairness, makes
you feel for the smaller man in the rock world …. As soon as someone becomes big, then you, the label that gave them the start, aren’t big enough for them anymore.
Anyway, as I said ‘Blue Skies, Broken Hearts ….. Next 12 Exits’ was the release that gave The Ataris their break, mixing typical teen angst with rather surprising lyrical ability. However, with ‘So Long, Astoria’ they’ve stepped it up to rid themselves of the angst and have now thrown in some fantastic hooks that do, at times, make Good Charlotte look talent less. They are far under-rated, particularly in the UK, particularly when you look at the success of bands like Blink 182, who to me, are a group of talent less nobodies. Right well, on to the pick of the bunch …….
So Long, Astoria
The title track, and opening track, is a typical in your face, modern rock song. It mixes clever riffs with the surprisingly mature thoughts of lead singer Kris Roe. That for me, is where they stand out from other bands within the genre, the fact that they have a very level-headed writer who knows what to write about without delving to far into the out-dated ‘I hate my parents’ mode of thought. Yes, they do still enlighten us on similar topics, but without taking us to the ‘been there, heard it’ situation that many modern bands do so often. The song itself, is about going through your past in you mind and wondering about what went wrong, what you could have done and what things could have been like.
“We said that we would never fit in When we were really just like them Does rebellion ever make a difference ? ….”
In This Diary
Undoubtedly the finest track on the album, In This Diary is pure punk rock heaven taken to the extreme. The opening chords alone tell you this is something very special indeed. Kris Roe is another, along with Joel Madden and Billie Joe Armstrong, who have the voice that is so perfectly suited to the genre, that as long as you’ve got half decent lyrics, then you will get by no matter what. In This Diary, the first single taken from the album, is about the finest time in your life, about a single time that you just don’t ever forget, whatever happens in the future.
“All the nights we stayed up talking Listening to 80’s songs And quoting lines from all the movies that we love It still brings a smile to my face …..”
(A positive song in modern rock ….. Who’d have thought it eh ?)
The Boys Of Summer
Yes, it is the song your all thinking, the Don Henley classic (although I’ve personally never heard it, I have heard many people mention it when I’ve been listening to the album anywhere near them). As I said, I can’t compare it to the original, but if this were to be the original itself, it’d pretty damn good indeed. The riffs, the voice and the attitude all rolled together to make a cover of a classic, sound very good. The heavy intro to the song, again as with ‘In This Diary’ indicates that it will be one great listen. I have tried to find a copy of the original as so I can compare, but have failed in my attempts so far, so I will give it as I hear it.
www.theataris.com www.sonymusiceurope.com
I’m not going to make The Ataris out to be something special, but if your looking to get into the band, or simply wish to purchase a fun record, you could, and will, do a lot worse than try ‘So Long, Astoria’ by The Ataris. If you like Blink 182, Good Charlotte etc, then this is right up your street, in fact …. Its at you front door !
Track listing
1. So Long, Astoria 2. Takeoffs and Landings 3. In This Diary 4. My Reply 5. Unopened Letter To The World 6. The Saddest Song 7. Summer ‘79 8. The Hero Dies In This One 9. All You Can Ever Learn is What You Already Know 10. The Boys of Summer 11. Radio #2 12. Looking Back On Today 13. Eight of Nine
Though much has been made of their move to a major label, that doesn't appear to have ... more
affected the Ataris as much as good old-fashioned maturity. So Long, Astoria, their fifth album, is packed with more of the emo punk hooks and open-hearted earnestnes...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Sep 25th, 2004
very helpful by (96%):
helpful by (4%):
![River Is Wide, The [Remastered] - Forum (The)](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/251/prod_small-6006251.jpg)
