End is Forever,
The AtarisAnd so it is that we come to the third full length album by the Ataris, a punk/emo band from California. It would have been difficult for the band to surpass their last album, and I am not entirely sure that they have achieved this target - but that is not to say that EIF is not good.
Upon first hearing the album, I have to admit I was relatively disappointed - many of the lyrics and chord progressions seemed to be almost identical to their last album, 'Blue Skies Broken Hearts', especially 'I.O.U one galaxy' which seems to be a collection of all the Ataris lyrics mashed into one song; having said this, Kris Roe would have found it difficult to generate an entirely new set of lyrics for the album, due to the essence of the Ataris.
After the initial disappointment wore off (and yes, I did want the moon on a stick), repeated listening to the songs drew out some favourites, most noticeably 'If you really want to hear about it' and 'Song 13', two songs almost opposite in style; one reflective/nostalgic and the other angst ridden, showing the band hasn't lost its diversity or the ability to produce a varied album. I did find the new version of 'Song for a mix tape' slightly annoying, as after an excellent minute or so it slowly winds down into what seems like a country/western song - the new version of 'How I Spent my Summer Vacation' also seems to have been slowed down and 'emo-ized'(tm) and has unfortunately lost much of its bite. One more thing that should be mentioned is the greater range of instruments used in the album - piano, moog and xylophone are all incorporated, so kudos to the band for experimenting without going to far.
More of the same for Ataris fans then, though this time round a little more polished (which is no good thing in my opinion) and slightly less lyrical innovation - but still a good quality album that no self respecting punk/emo kid should be without..
nick
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