Following up their breakthrough 1999 release
Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits
,
Kris Roe
and his band,
the Ataris
, offered up the dynamic, dangerously non-
punk
End Is Forever
in early 2001. Along with singer/guitarist
Roe
Chris Knapp
(drums),
Marco Pena
(guitars), and bassist
Mike Davenport
wind their way through an expanse of
post-grunge
alternative
and
emocore
more musical than anything
had previously released. Listeners familiar with the group's earlier recordings probably won't be too surprised by
as
's quickly developing, gifted writing had always been the outfit's defining factor, making the transition away from
's noisier elements predestined. Purists already dismissive of the entire
emo
genre will be mortified by
's polished heart-tugging trilogy
"Giving Up on Love,"
"Summer Wind Was Always Our Song,"
"I.O.U. One Galaxy"
that opens the disc. Things degenerate further for credibility-obsessed
fans when
and Co. kick out some old-fashioned big
rock
on tracks like
"Road Signs and Rock Songs."
Listeners anxious about
unavoidable flight to the
genre suburbs won't have to read between any lines to figure where the band was heading when they produced this 2001 release. After
, all that remained to be seen is just how far the quartet's undeniable mainstream appeal would take them. ~ Vincent Jeffries