In the messy sea of current punk rock, The Ataris stand out as one of the most sincere punk bands, with lead singer and songwriter Kris Roe's realistic lyrics about love, hate, and finding answers. Their 1999 full-length studio album, Blue Skies, Broken Hearts, Next 12 Exits - in my opinion, one of the best punk albums of all-time - shows all of the aforementioned lyrical moods as well as great musical talent.

The Album in a Nutshell

Blue Skies is The Ataris' - and especially Kris Roe's - dedication to finding answers to life and figuring out the thought processes of women. The influence of MxPx and The Vandals on The Ataris are apparent throughout the album: the album is full-on punk, without much delving into other styles¹, the guitars sound distorted without being too static and metal-sounding, and the music runs at a relatively quick pace without becoming thrash-core. Best of all, many of the songs fade into each other, making Blue Skies an album, not a collection of 14 songs that happen to be by the same band.

Due to the new, stricter, moderation revolving around plagiarism, I've removed the lyrics just to be safe. I'll write the review later, when I finally get the time. Or not. Whatever.