So long, anonymity.

For a few years, Ataris leader Kris Roe has proven himself one of the most talented young punk songwriters you've never heard, delivering lyrics with impressive levels of depth, maturity and literacy.

That skill, displayed on albums like Blue Skies, Broken Hearts ... Next 12 Exits, earned the former Indianan and his Santa Barbara band a major-label shot for their fourth album. Roe makes the most of it with So Long, Astoria, one of the strongest emo CDs of the year.

A loose concept piece about growing up, moving on (literally and figuratively) and looking back, So Long Astoria captures the lyricist at his finest, displaying both a sense of nostalgia and a gift for expressing it that are unusual in someone so young. A churning cover of Don Henley's Boys of Summer is a nice touch, too. Sadly, Roe's musical artistry -- or his band's ability to render it constructively -- seldom rises above cookie-cutter punk that's servicable but nowhere near as inspired as his verbiage.

With So Long, Astoria, Roe is so close to breaking through -- and yet so far from making the album he's capable of.

Track Listing