"Welcome the Night" was released by Sanctuary Recordstoday.
Few bands arrive at the opportunity to be an enormous commercial success. Fewer still deserve it. The latter category is where one can now find the Ataris with their latest effort, Welcome The Night. A great deal has changed in the group since their debut album ten years ago.
That album, Anywhere But Here (1997), was characterized by immature pop-punk sounds with one-word song titles and was released on Kung Fu Records. The band would record two more records with Kung Fu and then eventually drop that label. They then chose to sign with Columbia Records in 2003 and released So Long, Astoria,the album they are most notorious for in that same year.Astoria led to several hit singles, including the Don Henley cover of "Boys of Summer." The Ataris would later claim that they never meant for the cover to be released as a single; however, the song brought a ridiculous amount of airplay and fame to the Ataris' doorstep. The group eventually decided to take a break due to personal and artistic differences and dropped off of Columbia in the summer of 2006.
Now, four years since their last release, the Ataris hope to use their music to attract a slightly older demographic, and have had modest success in doing that. Upon first listen, the album's title begins to make more sense, as the Ataris have produced their darkest and spaciest album to date. Whirling guitar sounds complement various effects and noise manipulations over a vast base of Kristopher Roe's theatrical vocals. It is important to note that Roe is the last remaining member of the original Ataris. In fact, he is the only returning member since So Long, Astoria - every other group member for this album is different, thus explaining the striking difference in sound.
Welcome The Night boasts only a few memorable singles, notably "Begin Again From The Beginning" and "Whatever Lies Will Help You Rest." However, the album itself proves worthy as a nice vacation from the conventional sounds of today's alternative music. While the group has made leaps and bounds away from their predictable pop punk sounds, the fact remains that the band is still called the Ataris and the name alone is sure to keep some older fans away.
Conclusion: 3.5/5 stars
This article was written by Matthew Reynolds, writer and CD reviewer for the Belmont Vision and freelance writer for The Tennessean. See his personal blog here for more music reviews.
