Kris Roe also took on the role of managing other punk bands such as Useless ID from Haifa, Israel. They collaborated on a split EP entitled "Let It Burn". Kris also acted as co-producer with Mass Giorgini (whose other production credits include working alongside Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day) for a ]label]Cincinnati, OH-based band called the National Trust in 2004, an album which is as-of-yet unreleased..
After a long delay, the album End Is Forever was released in 2001. This album was a testament to Kris Roe's increasing maturity as a songwriter. Most of the songs, especially "Fast Times at Dropout High", touched on very personal and emotional topics such as losing a sibling because his parents gave his newborn brother away for adoption. Once again the lineup changed, with John Collura replacing Peña on guitar.
On the 24th of June 2002 The Ataris left Kung Fu Records and signed with Columbia Records. Later in that year they recorded their 6th album, "So Long, Astoria", released on March 4th, 2003. This album was responsible for giving them their break into the mainstream audience and generated many successful singles, including "In This Diary" and their cover of Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer".
After touring behind the album for most of 2003, the band began writing the follow-up to "So Long, Astoria". Much of 2004 was spent in inactivity. In February of 2004, the band released "Live At The Metro", an album containing a full concert at The Metro in Chicago, as well as acoustic tracks. Mike Davenport and Chris Knapp left the band in early 2005.
Recording of "Welcome the Night" began in February 2005. Along with it came five new members - Sean Hansen filling the bass position, Shane Chickeles on drums, and guitarist Paul Carabello, Angus Cooke (Who played Cello on "End Is Forever"), and Bob Hoag on 3rd guitar, Cello, and Keyboards respectively. The group spent all of spring and summer recording at Seedy Underbelly in Los Angeles. "Welcome the Night" was orginally due out in April or May of 2006 but as of March 2006 the release date was pushed back to July of 2006. The release date of this album was once again been pushed back to possibly early 2007 after The Ataris asked to be released from their contract with Columbia Records, which the label agreed too. The "Welcome the Night" album was released in late February to an eager Ataris fan base. Unfortunately, it was not what they expected. The "Welcome the Night" album took a completely different approach to music. In a drastic deviation from his past traditions of whimsical, nostalgic pop songs, Roe used the new album to pursue a much more mature post-rock/progressive sound, an initiative which many speculate arose from the divorce of his wife and other personal conflicts. While "Welcome the Night" is certainly a great departure from The Ataris' roots, Roe has indicated that their upcoming release will attempt to return to the happy, youthful overtures that older fans have grown accustomed to.
Not Capable of Love
The Ataris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lies a city still and cold
Our silhouettes walk hand in hand
The drunken jukebox serenade
We pretend we're so innocent
Cause no one ever likes to hurt
Go take off that silver dress
I'm not capable of love
That kind of love
That I felt when I was twenty one
Cause I'm not capable of love
That kind of love
That I felt when I was twenty one
Take it back
So happy birthday darling
Watch those candles melt away
Not unlike those chandeliers
At the bar where we both etched our names
Who would have thought we'd fall so hard
Who would have thought we'd fall so fast
Optimistic children
Clinging tight to all we never had
I'm not capable of love
That kind of love
That I felt when I was twenty one
Cause I'm not capable of love
That kind of love
Could I wish that I could take back
Take it back
You're the only one I want
I wish that I could take it back
Am I not capable of love
That kind of love
That I felt when I was twenty one
Cause I'd be right if I said
You're not my biggest regret
Could I wish that I could take it back
Cause I'm not capable of love
That kind of love
That I felt when I was twenty one
Take it back
The first verse of The Ataris's song Not Capable of Love paints a picture of a city bathed in moonlight that seems eerily quiet and still. The two silhouettes walking hand in hand in the midst of the setting lend a romantic air to the scene. The lyrics suggest that the couple is pretending to be innocent, as no one wants to inflict pain on others. However, the lyrics serve as a reminder that everyone has their share of broken hearts and regrets. The line "and expose your naked heart" in the chorus reinforces the idea that being vulnerable is essential to experiencing true love.
The chorus itself is a heart-wrenching admission from the singer that they are not capable of experiencing the kind of all-consuming love they had felt in their youth. Whether it is because of past experiences or simply a growing jadedness that comes with age, the singer acknowledges that their current self is just not capable of the intense, all-consuming love they once experienced. The lyrics also suggest that the couple has grown apart and are no longer the same people they were in the past. The song's melancholic tone and powerful lyrics are enough to move anyone with even a hint of a broken heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Beneath the glow of this hanging moon
The singer sets the scene and describes the setting by painting a picture of the moon illuminating the night.
Lies a city still and cold
The city is personified as still and cold, perhaps implying a sense of detachment or emptiness.
Our silhouettes walk hand in hand
The singer continues the scene by describing themselves and a companion, using the imagery of walking 'hand in hand.'
The drunken jukebox serenade
The scene is further set with the image of a 'drunken jukebox serenade,' which potentially implies a sense of sadness or melancholy.
We pretend we're so innocent
The artist describes themselves and their companion as pretending to be innocent, potentially hinting at guilt or covering something up.
Cause no one ever likes to hurt
The reason for their pretending is given as being because 'no one ever likes to hurt,' indicating that they are trying to avoid pain.
Go take off that silver dress
The singer addresses their companion, telling them to remove a 'silver dress,' which may be symbolic of something revealing or fake.
And expose your naked heart
The artist continues their address, asking their companion to reveal their true emotions or vulnerabilities, perhaps suggesting a desire for emotional closeness.
I'm not capable of love
The artist delivers the central theme of the song, conveying that they do not feel capable of love.
That kind of love
The artist specifies that they are referring to a certain type of love, which is not clear at this point.
That I felt when I was twenty one
The singer provides a specific timeframe - when they were twenty one years old - in which they experienced this love.
Take it back
The artist repeats their previous plea to their companion to 'take it back,' potentially implying regret.
So happy birthday darling
The singer changes focus to addressing their companion on their birthday.
Watch those candles melt away
The singer describes the act of watching the candles on a birthday cake burn down, using it as symbolism for time slipping away.
Not unlike those chandeliers
The candles on the cake are compared to chandeliers, potentially symbolizing wealth or luxury.
At the bar where we both etched our names
The artist sets another scene, describing an instance in which they and their companion inscribed their names on something, perhaps a surface in a bar or elsewhere.
Who would have thought we'd fall so hard
The artist expresses surprise at having fallen hard for their companion.
Who would have thought we'd fall so fast
The singer repeats their surprise at having fallen for their companion quickly.
Optimistic children
The singer describes themselves and their companion as 'optimistic children,' potentially implying that they were naive or inexperienced when they first fell in love.
Clinging tight to all we never had
The artist uses the metaphor of 'clinging tight' to illustrate how they held onto something that was never present or possible in reality.
You're the only one I want
The artist acknowledges their desire for their companion in a direct and emphatic way.
Am I not capable of love
The artist repeats their central theme, posing their inability to love as a question.
Could I wish that I could take back
The singer expresses a desire to take something back, potentially imploring their companion to do the same.
Cause I'm not capable of love
The artist repeats their central theme once again, providing a sense of finality and resignation.
That kind of love
The singer provides specificity once again, specifying that they are unable to feel a certain type of love which remains undefined.
You're not my biggest regret
The singer attempts to minimize their regret by stating that their companion is not their biggest one.
Take it back
The song ends with the singer repeating their plea for their companion to 'take it back,' perhaps symbolizing a yearning for things to have gone differently.
Contributed by Hailey N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mike Morris
For those who love to hate Welcome the Night, when (before) did Kris Roe ever write a more profound, complete song than this? Never---although the entire album is full of songs just like this one. It's easily his best work, and probably one of the top five albums of this decade. Everyone apparently "missed the point" of this album; it's not intended to confirm values---it's a gloomy, introspective work which brilliantly illustrates life in all of its ecstasies and agonies. So genuine.
Brittany Cole
It makes me sad to see that so many people disliked Welcome the Night. In my opinion, it's the best album I ever bought. And then So Long, Astoria. :]
Jorge P
Right ?!? For me this and so long Astoria (sorry I can’t chose between them ) are the best ever are really great and I don’t understand neither why people seemed to dislike this album even some critic (rolling stones magazine) disliked it so much for me it’s super deep, great lyrics and more more mature.
Frannie Aragon
The older I get, the more true this song is.
kenzieTKD
I've listened to the ataris since they were signed with Kung Fu Records and i persoanlly think this was a great turn for this band. i love this entire record.
IronyIsGod
The Ataris have finally released an album that's consistently excellent from start to finish and I for one salute them for it. Anybody who doesn't get just hasn't grown with the band and is no loss anyway. Genuinely think it's one of the best albums I've heard this side of the millenium and their besy yet and I say that as somebody who's been following them from the beginning.
Mike Morris
Unbelievable song coming off of what will be by far Kris Roe's greatest work. Nothing else he ever has done even compares to Welcome The Night; landmark album.
meandmia
I think welcome the night is genius and really shows off how Kris Roe & the band have really evolved as a song writers. I love the old stuff too but this really lets the world know that they're more then just "pop-punk/emo" or whatever. That being said, so long astoria and this album rule.
Mike Morris
It IS their best album by a long shot...and that says a lot, because everything Kris Roe has ever recorded is excellent. I cannot conceive how it wasn't received well critically---if any other band releases this exact same record (for example, The Killers), it's a four-and-a-half star album. Unfair bias against bands derived from the old-school pop punk scene.
John Capito
such a great album! lots of great memories with this one....hangin' at the beach with my buds!