some pleasures are guiltier than others: #1: End is Forever

The Ataris - End is Forever

Why It's Embarrassing: There are so many reasons why anything by the Ataris, at this point, can be seen as embarrassing. For one, find a copy of Enter the Night, and after listening to it (if possible, in full), say aloud, "They were serious". Typing that alone made my spine shutter. Besides that, you have the Don Henley cover that is still played in Wal Mart's across America, the ridiculous nineties fashion (for reference, look up the cover of Look Forward to Failure), the ridiculous new millennium fashions (Ex. eyeliner), etc. There was also the fact that, like so many others, they bought into the idea that nineties pop punk lyrics (outside of Jawbreaker) had to be, well, bad. Like, cringe-worthy bad. Like, take "San Dimas High School Football Rules", for example. For most people that knew the Ataris before So Long, Astoria, they know these lyrics:

Last night I had a dream that we went to Disneyland,
Went on all the rides, didn't have to wait in line.
I drove you to your house where we stared up at the stars
I listened to your heartbeat as I held you in my arms.

Face it (if you already haven’t). Those lyrics aren't good. At all. Later in the song, they get worse. There’s a whole line about going to Vegas and getting Wayne Newton to sing a song to the girl in question. You know what isn’t cool? Wayne Newton. What know what is bad lyric material? Wayne Newton.

These problems arise on End is Forever as well. The album doesn’t get away scot-free just because I’m admitting, well, that I like it. I mean, take the opening track “Giving up on Love”, for example:

I used to have this friend
Who took his fiance
To see billy idol
A couple weeks before
Their wedding day.
The chick got backstage
And left my friend outside.
Next day he called
From a hotel
Asking for a ride.

I guess i'm giving up on love
'cause it really kind of sucks

That’s not even the worst on the record by a fucking long shot. Here’s a link. Read the lyrics to “You Need a Hug”. Even when I was 15 I knew these lyrics were fucking stupid. Trust me. Read them.

Why It’s Awesome: Last time I admitted to myself that I liked this record was in 2004. Even then, I was slightly embarrassed. Regardless of that, I then spent a good, long while essentially ripping off this record. You may recognize that attempt as this:

Now, it’s not a full on rip-off fest, but the evidence is there. Example (probably the best example): Listen to the end of “Summer Wind Was Always Our Song”. What you get: Long winded pop punk instrumental jam. Now, if you have the ARC record, listen to the end of “Warm Hands, Warm Memories”. What you get: Long winded pop punk instrumental jam. Hmm. Trust me. That was completely intentional.

More examples: Listening to this record now, it’s basically as technical as pop punk can get in terms that the band is working together to create the most interesting thing they can. There are starts. There are stops. There are weird chords next to power chords. There are perfectly synced drum and bass parts. There are pianos, synths, acoustic guitars, slide guitars, etc. There is a lot going on. Listening to the ARC record, there is also a lot going on. It wasn't pulled off as tightly, but I specifically tried to make the songs have enough interesting quarks to settle my End is Forever urges.

Where the lyrics are good, they’re really good. Some of this shit still really hits home. Kris Roe sounds like he’s ripping his throat apart most of the time, and you get the feeling that he really is. That’s the sign of some clout behind what is going on (or, I’ve been really well fooled for seven years). Listen to him sing the line, “I draw the blinds and I dream of you” during, “If You Really Wanna Hear About It”. Besides that, this record has the second most perfect use of a sample I’ve ever heard in my life during “Fast Times at Dropout High” (next to “Megan” by On the Might of Princes”). Granted, it’s Ben Affleck speaking, but the placement is something more than perfect. It’s just fucking right.