All Music Guide
Dan LeRoy
Rating: 4 Stars
In the year that followed God Loves Ugly, Atmosphere's travels nearly took them to a major label; unlikely as it might have seemed...
Rating: 4 Stars
In the year that followed God Loves Ugly, Atmosphere's travels nearly took them to a major label; unlikely as it might have seemed at one time, the hip-hop trio's cerebral yet down-to-earth sound had become one of the hottest things in the underground, thanks in large part to rapper Slug's charisma, and surprising vulnerability. But the group pulled back, deciding to retain control and assign the album they'd completed to punk label Epitaph. That move made sense on a few levels, not least because Seven's Travels bristles with the independent spirit that put both punk and hip-hop on the map. There are any number of disgusted references to the mainstream; "National Disgrace" coldly observes a drunken star and notes, "This is a career, not a hobby." And producer Ant's varied and effective trick bag sometimes even includes a raw, uncompromising sound miles away from any imaginable chart action. But Atmosphere has always resisted the art-for-art's sake strain that has infested hip-hop in recent years; as Slug himself says early on, "I'm trying to find a balance." The beats seduce with R&B richness as often as they snarl, and instances where lyrical abstraction runs wild ("Cats Van Bags") are the exception, not the rule, because Slug is as much a storyteller as diarist. "Shoes" is another of his pickup-gone-wrong tales, ending in giggles in front of the toilet, and "Always Coming Back Home To You" dissects a slice-of-life moment with a guy and a gun in unexpected fashion. Just as remarkable, though, is the optimistic commercial for small-town living that follows, as Slug observes, "Minnesota is dope/if only simply for not what we have, but what we don't" and leads a shout-out that goes in part "If the playground is free of stems and syringes/If there's only one store in your town that sells 12-inches/say shhhh." Now that's keeping it real.
SPIN
Michaelangelo Matos
Rating: B+
The usual pop story is that you can't go home again, but in hip-hop you're suspect if you leave. That's never been a problem for Minneapolis...
Rating: B+
The usual pop story is that you can't go home again, but in hip-hop you're suspect if you leave. That's never been a problem for Minneapolis rapper Slug. He may tour 200 days a year, but he's remained outspokenly loyal to his hometown since 1997's Overcast!, taking as much pride in his boho-Midwesternness as Outkast do in being ATLiens. Despite its title, Seven's Travels, the fourth album by Atmosphere (Slug and DJ/producer Ant), could have been commissioned by the Twin Cities tourist bureau. Everything from Uptown drinkery Liquor Lyle's to late, great Minneapolis rockers Lifter Puller receives a shout-out; on the bonus track, "Shh," Slug even celebrates his hometown's clean tap water and abundant parking.
Now that Slug has seen the world--and spent last year's tough-talking God Loves Ugly worrying about his place in it--he's decided he's happier staying put, which just makes him seem more worldly. Seven's Travels is Atmosphere's least frantic, most playful album; even overtly emo moments like "Bird Sings Why the Caged I Know" are tempered by Ant's soul-kissed beats, which balance B-boy bluntness with billowing ornamentation. And while female trouble has traditionally been Slug's sorest subject--the point where his knee-jerk smart-assedness turns authentically, disturbingly mean--he's progressing.
The drunken bad-date slur of "Shoes" ("Those are your shoes, these are my shoes, we've got issues") butters its angst with sly wit: "Here we are sitting on your livingroom floor / Listening to records from your collection / Boredom, in between a coma and an erection." And on "Reflections," a nightclub pickup glimmers with the possibility of a more substantial connection: "All of your regrets you're carrying and burying / Don't mean a damn thing if you don't have someone to share them with." After all, if you're gonna go home again, why go (it) alone?
02. Trying To Find A Balance
Great Album
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