Atmosphere’s Godlovesugly is one of my favorite hip-hop albums ever. That album, among a few others, got me through some very trying times when my wife and I moved from the homes of our youth in Nebraska to the paradise of California. Needless to say, it got its share of spins and defined, for me, Atmosphere’s sound. So when they released You Can’t Believe How Much Fun We’re Having in 2005, I was initially disappointed. You Can’t Believe.. was more “produced” than I had grown accustomed to and the overall vibe of the album was pleasurable and entertaining, whereas I had become familiar with a more solitude and sorrowful Atmosphere. I eventually grew to love the album however and inevitably acknowledged another dimension of the twin city duo.
Now, with their latest album When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, Atmosphere pulls that all too similar identity shift again. But not only is When Life Gives You Lemons.. different from past Atmosphere albums, its different from any hip-hop album you’ve ever heard.
Let’s address the elements of the album that are familiar first. This is a definite return to intimacy and simplistic conveyance. Slug has always been very adept at putting himself in other people’s shoes as well as letting the listener walk around in his for awhile. This talent absolutely gleams on When Life Gives You Lemons.. We’re taken from an afternoon with his daughter in the car, to a homeless man in a restaurant and everything in between. “Your Glass House” is an eerily desolate tale of excess and the reality that we’re all somebody’s hooker is revealed in “The Skinny”. This album isn’t a typical compilation of barely meaningful songs, but a collection of short stories put to melody.
Past that the familiarity is blown apart, shattered as Atmosphere boosts past it at an alarming speed. So alarming and so far away that most of the new fans acquired with You Can’t Believe.. will likely be left behind before the album even begins. When the duo finally slam on the brakes and start marinating in that slowed state, even seasoned Atmosphere fans will have to understand that Slug and Ant have apparently decided that it’s time to elevate this thing called hip-hop.
And the learning curve is steep.
By the time you’re four seconds into the track “Puppets” you will understand that this is not at all what you expected, regardless of your prior Atmosphere experience. The intro track “Like the Rest of Us” will make you think that, like many intros, they’re just easing you into the monstrous hook that’s about to flip this album on its ass. But like I said, once that second track begins and you realize that your dance mix isn’t comin’, you’ll start to question the quality of this album. Reason being is that no one’s done it like this before. No rap group or single artist has boiled all the superfluous garnishment off of lyricism and given it to you in such a raw form, no artist from this era anyway. The current hip-hop age has evolved into overdubs upon overdubs and gargantuan beats. These will not be found on When Life Gives You Lemons.. What you will find in its stead is a live band providing just enough accompaniment to set the mood. Other than that, its Slug’s story time.
And all of hip-hop would do well to listen.
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Finally, a review that does some sort of justice to this album.
lemons is scapegoat, tattoed hands, godlovesugly, little man, etc evolved. fucking incredible album. can’t believe some off the crap i’ve been reading about this — this is what hip hop needs to keep moving towards . . . so tired of the same ol’.
thank god someone is writing about this album that actually knows what the fuck they’re talking about.
have to disagree gentlemen. aside from the horrendous hooks, this lackluster album feels incredibly mailed in. maybe i’m too jaded but it seems their tank is empty… tho i genuinely hope this isn’t the case.
I was browsing around online looking for reviews of this album just to make sure I am not the only one who is blown away by it. I have yet to take it out of my car and can never tell when it restarts…this is exactly what i have been missing when it comes to meaningful hip hop music. To much techno rap, to much cheezy radio rap for me these days, dont get me wrong ill break a back or 3 to some club music but it aint getting to my soul like Atmosphere. A+