The Family Sign

by Atmosphere

A new Atmosphere album is real cause for celebration.  I know it's been out for a while, and I've been playing it to death, but I haven't wanted to write about it before now, as I was waiting to absorb it better.

The first thing that is noticeable about this album is how Slug's storytelling has grown in leaps and bounds over the last decade.  He's moved away from his standard navel-gazing to start creating songs that tell stories about other people.  Check out 'Became', a story about a couple who have gone camping and are being pursued by a large wolf, on the literal side, but the story has a figurative meaning as well.  It's definitely not your usual hip-hop song.

In some ways, I feel like this album is lacking any stand-out songs.  When Life Gives You Lemons, their last album, had a few tracks that absolutely killed, but The Family Sign has more of a cohesive element to it, kind of like recent Roots albums, where the songs almost blend.  I'm cool with that, since I like to listen to albums as a whole, but I do wish I had a few tracks that I wanted to play over and over on their own.  The only exception to this statement is 'Something So', the second last track, which is lovely.

I love that Atmosphere has embraced a live instrument format, with the addition of Nate and Erick to the band (whoever they are).  I loved Slug and Ant's work as a team, but this has added a more nuanced and versatile feel to the group, as they have all grown into more mature and subtle artists.  Highly recommended.

To All My Friends/Blood Makes the Blade Holy

by Atmosphere

2010 was a disappointing year so far as hip-hop goes.  There weren't many big releases, and it is easy to see people are bemoaning the glory days of the genre.  Personally, I found myself branching out further and further afield this year, into jazz and archival African releases.

Then Atmosphere come along, drops a double-ep, remind me why I love hip-hop, and give me hope, as they continue to innovate and redesign themselves into a more mature, thoughtful, and musical group.

There are twelve songs on this disk, and they are great.  Slug has been working on his storytelling skills, and many of his songs here take the form of spinning a good tale or two.  'The Major Leagues', 'Scalp', 'The Best Day', and 'Americareful' (awesome name) all fit that bill.

There is a more rocked out and aggressive nature to songs like 'Until the Nipple's Gone', 'Shotgun', and 'Commodities', although they are balanced later by the softer songs like 'Hope', 'The Loser Wins', and 'Freefallin''.

What has always made Atmosphere stand out has been Sean's willingness to examine his own life and problems through his lyrics.  He's not as navel-gazing as he used to be these days, and is instead turning his past experiences into lessons or poetic examinations.  'The Number None' talks about his first girlfriend, and is equally explicit and wistful.  'To All My Friends' is the best song on this disk, as Sean reviews his influences in music and life, and defends his choice to keep plugging away at the music industry.

This is such a nicely balanced project that it's hard not to think of it as an album.  If this is what they're turning out to tide people over, I can't wait to hear the next LP.

Leak at Will

by Atmosphere

I love when Atmosphere drops these little EPs between albums, and I like it even more when they are free.

Leak at Will is a good sample of Atmosphere's talent and new aesthetic, as it has the lusher sound of their most recent album, and features the new approach to story-telling that Slug has been taking with his lyrics; namely, the songs aren't really about him.

Instead, we get songs about a mother whose son is in jail ('Mother's Day'), about a girl on a crime spree ('Millie Fell Off the Fire Escape') and directionless youth ('Ropes'). My favourite song is 'Feel Good Hit of the Summer Part 2', where Slug rhymes about the different drugs he has and hasn't tried. The way he loops back on his own rhyme while talking about LSD makes me laugh every time I hear it.

The rest of this 7-track gift is strong too.

Crate Digging: Strictly Leakage

by Atmosphere

This project began life as a random free download, then became a giveaway with "When Life Gives You Lemons", before taking its place as an individual release.

This is basically Atmosphere cutting loose for a bit, and having a good time. These are all party songs, with uptempo beats and amusing lyrics.

Slug and Ant are clearly having a good time with this, and songs like 'YGM', 'Little Math You', and 'Get It To Get Her' show that. 'You Played Yourself' has Sean speaking to the type of people that he probably encounters all the time on tour.

This is a great Atmosphere album - perfect party background.

Crate Digging: Sad Clown Bad Spring #12

by Atmosphere

As Winter gives over finally to spring, the focus is much more on telling strong, visual stories. 'Less One' is about an angry police officer. 'Good Daddy' is a lovely song about a young father, with a strange (and slightly predictable) twist at the end. 'Carry Me Home' is one of the more emotional songs this band has ever written, and it ties strongly into the themes of 'When Life Gives You Lemons'. 'Not Another Day' displays Slug's ability to spin a nice tale again, as he tells a few stories of people who struggle to get through their daily life.

The beats on this EP are very jazzy and catchy. This is probably the strongest of the four 'season' episodes of the Sad Clown Bad Dub series.

Crate Digging: Sad Clown Bad Winter #11

by Atmosphere

Winter in Minneapolis must be cold. I know it's much worse than anything I see in Toronto. How then, does it affect Atmosphere? Well, I guess there's nothing better to do than 'drink your remedies and forget about your problems', as we are encouraged to do on 'Ha, This One is About Alcohol Too' (which I might add, is one of the best song titles ever).

I picture Slug and Ant snowed in, and having plenty of time to get on people's nerves, hence songs like 'They All Get Mad at You'.

I'm not sure I can take this any further. This is a fun EP.

How's It Hold Up? Lucy Ford

by Atmosphere

This was my first Atmosphere album, although it must be said that I picked it up after hearing Slug collaborate Murs on 'Felt'; I didn't pick it up when it first came out. That said, this is, to me, the seminal Atmosphere record, and one that I feel deserves to be listened to at least once a year still.

There are a lot of great songs on here. 'Don't Ever Fucking Question That' was an early favorite, although now I think it has been eclipsed by 'Guns and Cigarettes' and 'It Goes'.

I was amused about a year ago to be wandering around Blockbuster and realizing that some movie preview they were blaring across the store made use of the hook for 'The Woman with the Tattooed Hands', minus the line about biting her bottom lip.

What I like most about this album is that I feel as if Slug and Ant (and the odd guest producers) are still trying to find their voice as a group, and are therefore experimenting with their sound in a way that isn't seen again until "When Life Gives You Lemons".

This is a classic album, that holds up remarkably well.

The Truth is Here

by Brother Ali

This is a great album/dvd combination by Brother Ali. The cd features nine tracks, all produced by Atmosphere's Ant, and all of a high level of quality.

Ali sticks to very familiar and comfortable ground, mostly rapping about his own life and circumstances, but he does, for the most part, leave his divorce out of the mix this time around, signifying that he has moved on, and upwards (he does make mention to the impending birth of his daughter).

Ant understands Ali in the same way that he understands Slug, and on this disk, he provides him with music that really showcases his lyrical talent, and his rich voice. Slug shows up on one track (which is something you can say about almost half the cds I've bought this year), and the two mc's complement each other nicely.

Stand out tracks to me are 'Real As Can Be', which opens the disk, 'Palm the Joker', a song in the tradition of his classic 'Uncle Sam Goddamn', and 'Begin Here', a nice album closer wherein he thanks the people who have supported him in his artistic journey.

Packaged with the cd is a dvd which contains a concert performed at Seventh Avenue in Minneapolis. It's a great concert, as he covers all of his best songs, and even brings his son out for a minute. The dvd is rounded out with a few music videos.

It's great to see an artist like Brother Ali achieve success. He is not marketable in mainstream hip-hop circles (I can't see him getting a lot of play on BET), but he is a consistently strong artist, who is only getting better with each new release. I look forward to the upcoming full-length album.

Crate Digging: The dynoSpectrum

I came to this album only recently, having never heard of its existence. Basically, Slug and Ant from Atmosphere did a side project, featuring the likes of I Self Devine, Beyond, and Swift the 90° (whoever that is). Ant did all of the production, and the artists took on fake names for themselves like Pat Juba and General Woundwart.

Ten years later, it's easy to look beyond the silliness and see the emerging strength of Ant as a producer. The sound here is late-90s creepy-lite (a little Jedi Mind Tricks), and it's a very consistent album from start to finish. Slug really stands out on the mic, sounding like the most polished and practiced of the bunch. The songs themselves tend to blur into one another, and aren't all that memorable individually.

This album reminds me a great deal of the first Grayskul record, and I have to say it holds up pretty well.

Crate Digging: God Loves Ugly

by Atmosphere

I'm not entirely sure why Rhymesayers decided that this particular Atmosphere album needed re-releasing, but it did provide an opportunity to return to an earlier Atmosphere - when Slug was still portraying himself as insecure and petulant at times, but was also stretching into a more self-reflective artist. We get songs like 'F*@k You Lucy', which deals with very familiar themes, but we also get songs like 'Shrapnel', which were representative of Slug and Ants' growth as artists.

This re-release comes packaged with the Sad Clown Bad Dub 4 dvd, a mismash of concert footage, interviews, and screwing around from the time when this album was originally released. It's fun the first time through, but I can't imagine ever wanting to watch it again.

When Life Gives You Lemons

Atmosphere
I know that this cd has been out for a while now, but I've only just taken it out of my car, where it was getting played a couple of times a week since it was released.

Slug and Ant are the truth. I've been a fan of theirs for a while now, and I've really enjoyed seeing them grow as artists and as people. As much as I've enjoyed hearing Slug rhyme about his problems, I like that he's now looking at life from a more mature perspective, and applying the lessons he's learned to his storytelling.

The addition of a live band has strengthened their appeal to me - the beats on this cd are amazing (even if my favorite track on here has Slug rhyming over a solo guitar).

Stand out tracks include: Guarantees, Me, Like the Rest of Us, Dreamer, Painting, and Yesterday, but the whole album works well as a cohesive unit played from start to finish.

If you haven't bought this yet, buy the Deluxe Edition. Slug's written a children's book, but the real prize is the live concert DVD. Man, that guy can sweat. I don't ever want to be in the first couple of rows at one of his shows.....