The Ataris
End Is Forever

THE REVIEW

What should you expect from an album that already boldly features plagiarism?

A semi-flat group and a totally insipid and emotionless album. Kris Roe's voice isn't enough to elevate the whole thing if your songwriting teeters between more energetic tunes close to a highly polished melodic hardcore and easy punk surrounded by pop, and the level of the melodies isn't even at the crystal-clear level of the competition. Early My Chemical Romance, for example, might be a bit crafty to some, but there's no comparison.

The opener "Giving Up On Love", also the only or almost the only salvageable episode along with "You Need A Hug", is also where the plagiarism I mentioned at the beginning of the review is evident. The main guitar riff is the same as the track "Hey Suburbia" by Screeching Weasel, a historic punk rock band from the late '80s and early '90s. The only track that completely changes stylistic register is the final acoustic ballad "Hello And Goodbye".

The production is by Joey Cape of Lagwagon, while the album has the Kung Fu Records label, owned by Joe Escalante, a member of the punk-rock band Vandals.

I've read several times the tag emocore associated with the Ataris, without even understanding the real basis for this attribution. Certainly, a few sporadic screams are misleading.

Zero originality and clichés galore, and it can't even be said that it is a frivolous album but capable of entertaining and amusing, far from it. On the contrary, it's a prelude that anticipates problems, major lineup changes, the future contract with a major label, and another disappointing chapter, "So Long, Astoria" of 2003, which nonetheless will open the doors to a large fan base at least in the North American market.

Soulless. End is forever?