The Ataris

After being tied up for two years in legal limbo, the trend-chasing punk on the Atari's sixth LP sounds a bit wilted from the get-go, even if the band has grown into a burly septet. The influences run the gamut of alt pioneers -- from My Bloody Valentine to the Cure -- but the compressed post-production results in a gush of unvaried, big-as-a-barn modern rock. In fact, "big" is the key word: big emotions, big guitars and big hooks. Even so, the biggest achievement is the simple beat and falsetto vocal of "And We All Become Like Smoke," when the band shows a touch of restraint.