The Ataris have established themselves as one of the premiere pop-punk acts out there today. Albums such as 'End is Forever' and 'Blue Skies, Broken Hearts.. Next 12 Exits' have given the band a huge reputation for writing honest and open pop-punk and Kris Roe is regarded by many as one of the best pop-punk lyricists there is. So Long, Astoria is the sixth release by The Ataris and unfortunetly the weakest. It's an album of a few good songs and alot of mediocre songs. Let's take a look.
So Long, Astoria - The first song on the album opens with distorded power chords before everything kicks in. It's an emotional song. Kris when writing the lyrics for this album went to his hometown and this song is a huge reflection of his childhood. The lyrics are great and it's a nice song.
Takeoffs and Landings - This is another pretty emotional song. It's a love song and something i'll give Kris for this album is throughout he is consistently good with his lyrics. The song however is nice but it's nothing great. There's no real catchy chorus and the verses are allright but just an ok song.
In This Diary - I shouldn't have to mention the lyrics for this song but they are great. This is a song of youth lost. The chorus for this song is great and really makes this song. It was the first single off this album and it turns out as one of the albums strongest.
My Reply - Very average song. The album at this point to starts to sound alot the same. There isn't much variation between the first two songs and this song. They really do sound the same. The chorus is ok otherwise the song is an amazingly bland song.
Unopened Letter to the World - 'If I died tommorow, would this song live on forever?' is the main lyric of this song and it's a great song. Unlike My Reply the verses sound unique and it is quite a good song. The lyrics of course are great and it turns up as quite a good song especially the end.
The Saddest Song - Here's an intresting song. Starts off very strangly before kicking into quite a powerful chorus. It sounds pretty unique and Kris extends his voice on this song. A weak chorus brings the song down. An above average song overall.
Summer '79 - At first I really liked this song but now it seems pretty bland. It's a nice reflection on Kris's past and well written. The chorus is good but it doesn't have any special X-Factor which means it's a song with a limited lifespan.
The Hero Dies in this One - The verse at the start might mislead you into thinking this is just another My Reply type song which at first it does a sound a bit like but then the chorus comes along and it's an exploding chorus. The lyrics are great and the bridge is undeniably the highlight of this song. A good song.
All You Can Ever Learn is what You Already Know - Award for longest song title I've come across goes to this song. It's got a good message and it's well written. Lacks a bit of X-Factor and sounds a bit bland but not a bad song.
The Boys Of Summer - Yes it's a cover but probably one of the best i've ever heard. The Atari's take this song and make it sound like their own. It's a standout song on the record and a great song. It's the second single off this album. It's a song many people are bound to love.
Radio #2 - Yawn. Booooooring. This song sounds a bit different to anything on the album but it seriously sucks. Kris's voice sounds very strained and the production sounds to trebbly here. Lyrics are pretty bland aswell. Give this song a skip.
Looking Back On Today - This is an aucostic song. I really can't get over the production. It's pretty nasty here but however it's a nice song. Good lyrics but with good production it could have been so much better :(
Eight Of Nine - The last song somewhat redeems the last two. It's a pretty good song and the verses are incredibly well written. The lyrics are of course well written here and this is one of the albums catchiest. One of the albums most emotional and a nice farewell to the album.
So overall a mediocre attempt at an album. Some very good songs and some pretty bad ones. Hopefully The Ataris take note of the albums critism and release something like Blue Skies or End Is Forever next time. This album is for The Ataris fan only. Not worth it's full price but maybe but it if it's on sale.
Rating: 2.75/5 :(
