Welcome the Night

Ataris

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 20, 2007)
• Original Release Date: February 20, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sanctuary Records
• ASIN: B000MCICBU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #120,066 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From Amazon.ca
Much more than the passage of time has occurred in the four years between the release of The Ataris's So Long Astoria and Welcome the Night: Half of the group left while the two existing members (frontman Kristopher Roe and guitarist John Collura) decided to change their sound considerably. Losing much of their previous punk/pop leanings and gaining an atmospheric hue, Welcome the Night is more of a darkly-lit whole than a series of radio-friendly singles. A Killers-esque vocal style weaves in and out of the disc, most notably on the opening two tracks ("Not Capable of Love," "Cardiff-by-the-Sea") while a handful of other numbers ("Secret Handshakes," "And We All Become Like Smoke") ooze with the affectation of Disintegration-era Cure. The group finds their own engaging sound on a handful of tracks; "Whatever Lies Will Help You Rest" and the uncredited track 15 contain a strong sense of emotional theatre, thanks to frontman Roe's soaring vocals. His gothy, clichéd lyrics, however, are nearly cringeworthy to hear ("I will drown inside the anguish of your heart" from "Act V Scene IV"). The Ataris are in many respects still a young band, showing influences on their sleeve a little too clearly while they search for their own identity. Their overt change in sound may disenfranchise the group from some longtime fans, but it will likely engage more new ones with deeper roots than ever before. --Denise Sheppard

Billboard Magazine, February 24, 2007
"... unrelentingly sober ruminations on romantic loss, spiritual longing, and even suicidal despair, albeit with anthemic choruses that keep you pumping your fist while Roe is tearing out his heart."

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars welcome the new ataris, version 3.0..., February 28, 2007

By	A. Stoltz (illlinois) - See all my reviews

wow, it seems this record has been a decade in the making. finally after 4 years of switching song versions, switching band members, and switching labels "welcome the night" is finally released to the world. being a big ataris fan myself, i knew what i was getting myself into before buying this record. i knew what to expect. i've been following their blogs on various websites on the making of the record for the past 2 years. since i've been expecting this "different" record going into the release maybe that's why i enjoy it so much. i knew what it was going to be when it was released...a polarizing but solid album that's a breathe of fresh air. so what do i think of the new record you ask? i think it's a great record that shows growth, purity, and heavily influenced artsy songs.for other ataris fans, i can see how they were blindsided by the release probably expecting something similiar to "so long, astoria" but instead getting this very dark record from a once "pop punk band" who sang about highschool, girls, hating authority, etc.

i say version 3.0 cuz the ataris were initially a pop punk band, then they matured and made a great pop rock record which was "so long, astoria", and now the third phase of the band is this new dark sound heavily influenced by the ataris favorite artists. the record is heavily influenced by older bands such as the smiths, joy division, my bloody valentine, the smashing pumpkins, jawbreaker and many others. the record itself is once again different from their old stuff cuz their are very few hooks on the entire 13 track cd. don't fret though, "the cheyenne line" and their first single "not capable of love" are very catchy possible radio-ready singles that have great hooks to them along with great lyrics. however, the rest of the cd is quite brooding, slow, haunting, and pretty dramatic. however, this is not a bad thing for the whole record (except for a few tracks) are stellar emotional songs (ballads?) that can hit you hard if you're in the right mood.

to conclude my review, i think the new and way overdue record from the ataris is a great record that shine with the bands influences as well as keeping some (i mean very little) of their own ataris sound to them. with how music is today, this cd is a breathe of fresh air to a stale scene. however, i do agree with some of the reviews i've read on here and in magazine on how the ataris seem to have an identity crisis. on some of the weaker songs on the cd it seems they don't know exactly what direction they want to go with it resulting in a mix bag of ideas which makes the song incomplete to a degree. also, i can understand how old ataris fans reject this new sound but you can't possibly expect them to due another version of "so long astoria" do you? it's only natural to progress from that album and make an even better record. "so long astoria" was an entertainting record full of relatable songs and hooks while this cd is more of an artists' album. basically, if you're open-minded to music or possibly new to the ataris, you'll probably really like this album. if you're stuck in the past with their pop punk days, there's a 95% chance you're going to hate this album. i recommend it to anyone with an open mind or anyone looking for a breathe of fresh air in todays music. thank you for your time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where are the hooks?, February 24, 2007

By	Panther (San Jose, Ca.) - See all my reviews

I've been a fan of The Ataris since "Anywhere But Here" came out. They've never been my favorite band, but I've always thought they wrote good songs, and followed their career. The new album reminds me of "Ignorance is Bliss" by "Face to Face". The album was shunned by many because of a more mature sound. While I didn't care for it initially, I eventually came to realize how great the album truly is. People in general seem to be disappointed with the new direction the band is taking. I have no issue with that, I actually applaud it. I love bands like Swervedriver, My Bloody Valentine and Snow Patrol. The problem I have is the songs are long and boring. The only memorable part is the verse of "Cardiff-By-The-Sea" and that's because it's actually "In Circles" by "Sunny Day Real Estate". I don't mean to come off as harsh, but this album does very little for me. I'll try to listen again in a couple months. Like "Face To Face", "The Ataris" deserve a second chance (I actually hope I'm wrong about this album).

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't believe the negative reviews. This is really good!, February 22, 2007

By	nousefouraname (Omaha, Nebraska United States) - See all my reviews

I first got into the Ataris when I saw them at Warped Tour 2001. I thought they were a really good "pop-punk" band and I really enjoyed End is Forever and Blue Skies. Those albums were a really important part of my early 20's.

Welcome the Night does not resemble either of those albums at all. All you need to do is listen to the first couple of tracks to see that. It's definately a much slower and introspective album than anything they've ever done before. Personally, I love it and I applaud them for trying something new. Here's how I'd rate each of the individual songs on the album...

-Not Capable of Love: 9/10 (Definately the most radio friendly song here)
-Cardiff By The Sea: 7/10 (This one took time to grow on me, but it has)
-New Year's Day: 8/10 (Good song. good chorus)
-Secret Handshakes: 7/10(Anyone obsessed with "old ataris" will hate this. It's a very slow indie rock sounding song. I like it though)
-The Cheyenne Line: 8/10 (This would have fit on "So Long Astoria")
-And We all Become...: 10/10 (I love this Song! Very Powerful)
-Connections Are More...: 4/10 (I don't like this one. I found it a bit boring and repititve)
-Whatever Lies...: 10/10 (This song is the most like "old ataris" of any on the album)
-Far from the last...: 9/10 (Another great song with another great chorus)
-When all else fails...: 9/10 (A really strong personal song from Roe)
-Soundtrack for...: 3/10 (my least favorite on the album. I don't like the vocals, and I think it drones on too long)
-Begin Again...: 6/10 (A decent song, but it also begins to drone a bit. It's saved by a good chorus)
-Act V, Scene IV...: 9/10 (A great, chilling, end to this album)

I just don't understand the negative reviews this is getting. I understand that there is this mentality, especially in punk, that you are never supposed to change or "sell-out", but c'mon. Don't you think it'd be kind of creepy for a 30 year old man like Roe to keep on writing songs like "San Dimas High School Football Rules!" for the rest of his career? I know that I'm not the same person now as I was when I was 20 years old, and I'm sure Kris Roe isn't either. I'll always love the old ataris music, but I understand that they needed to grow and try something different. I can't fault them for that.

Truthfully, I don't think this is even as drastic of a departure as some like to suggest. This album completes the transformation the Ataris began with "So Long, Astoria". Anyone who has listened to that album past "In This Diary" and "Boys of Summer" can see that. "Astoria" was a 180 degree change from "Blue Skies". This album just takes it one step further. If you enjoyed "Astoria", especially songs like "The Hero Dies In This One" and "Eight of Nine" then you'll probably enjoy this album.

Don't believe all of the negative reviews.