Pop-punkers try for something new.
The Ataris are essentially a new band on this record, having only two band members left from the previous lineup and increasing their number to seven seems to have worked for them to some extent, though they may as well have found themselves a new name while they were at it. "Welcome The Night" is way better than their previous pop-punk attempts; a more mature and interesting record which is miles bigger in scope (drawing on obvious influences from 90's indie bands like My Bloody Valentine) but still manages to cohere really well and also retains some of their previous poppyness .
The album as a whole has a much more melancholic feel than their previous releases; more internal, serious and emotionally charged lyrics bring a (slightly more) mature edge that was always absent before and the use of cello from one of the new band members adds a richer, fuller sound especially on tracks like 'Secret Handshakes' and 'A Soundtrack For This Rainy Morning' where there is an almost epic sounding echo in the production on the keyboards and the guitars are full on My Bloody Valentine pulsing fuzz.
However, while most of the tracks on this new album feature the new cello sound and are full of their new found 90's sounding fuzzy guitars, they haven't really lost their pop edge by any stretch, you can hear it in the catchy hooks of tracks like opener, 'Not Capable Of Love' which apart from its Cureish bass-line is full on pop-rock (think Lostprophets meets Interpol) and 'When all else fails it fails', which is a full on emo ballad, dripping with painfully cheesy over earnest, over emotional crooning and anthemic guitars.
You get a taste of where the band were trying to go with this album, but it sounds like they didn't quite have the balls to go all the way; even with a change of line up and attitude The Ataris in essence remain the same animal; front man Kris Roe clearly still manages to rule the roost with an iron fist and you can hear the undercurrent of pop and cheese running throughout the record despite pretensions to try and create something more serious and dark. There may be a touch of the old school indie in the lyrics and instrumentation but the anthemic hooks and sing along choruses can't help but slip through, creating an album that has a really mainstream rock sound and should easily appeal to the old fans without alienating them too much.