Well, this is “the big one,” the major label debut of a very successful pop-punk band – one with a devoted international following – one with probably a lot of skeptical young fans, leery of the Columbia name on the back of the jewel case – one with a label A&R person who’s probably been sleepless for a number of months now. Just like the recent major label debut from THE JULIANA THEORY, this is one of those defining “so this is how it’s going to be” releases, and from the moment “So Long, Astoria” gets under way, THE ATARIS have not disappointed in the slightest. “So Long, Astoria” succeeds I believe, on two important levels (a) satisfying older fans who have followed this band through many prior releases, and (b) providing enough quality, catchy songs and energetic spirit to rope in first time listeners. With the first single, “In This Diary” getting massive radioplay (the sing-along quality of this song is off-the-charts), inevitably, people are going to purchase this for that one special tune, but to the delight of myself and many others, of the 13 official songs (there are two hiddent tunes), all of them fare well with consistency in tempo and a buzzing, mature guitar sound. All of the prior signature ATARIS moves are contained on here, with various song-endings crashing into a wall of noise, and the occasional touch of keyboards, giving a song greater depth in a non-obtrusive manner. In addition, the cover of “The Boys of Summer,” is excellent and fits like a glove into THE ATARIS repertoire. Many have slagged Kris Roe’s lyrical skills for being myopic and repetitive – covering the same personal ground over and over again, but like the labels tossed onto Roe, I think such classifying ignores the man’s ability to weave stories about events where it could be you, placed into each and every one of his songs. The fourth track on here, “My Reply” is pretty stunning – recounting the story of a sick fan sending poety to Kris, and his reaction to a person who surely needs some hope in her (presumably) life. Call me a sap, but this is some emotionally thick stuff, and it sounds far more honest than most vocalists could ever express. At nearly an hour of music, “So Long, Astoria” pushes the boundaries of length for a pop-punk album, but the quick pace of the songs helps the time move swiftly, thankfully never lagging into a period of stagnant noise, due to an ill-placed ballard. After listening to this band for a number of years, their charm and exhuberance doesn’t hit me with the same kind of urgent prodding that it used to, but “So Long, Astoria,” is a very complete release that should leave all listeners with a smile, and a pause for good measure.

Columbia

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