Atmosphere gets another great album review

EXTRA EXTRA: Epitaph Records has released a rap record, and it's really good!!!

After an odd intro, rap trio Slug, Mr. Dibbs and Ant (better known as Atmosphere) tear down the indie rock/ underground hip-hop wall with a piercing guitar-driven rap song titled "Trying To Find A Balance." The track is profane and catchy and rock n' roll---everything lacking in modern day hip-hop. "In the days of Kings and Queens I was a jester/ Treat me like a God, oh they treat me like a leper," Slug raps.

Atmosphere's beats range wildly from jarring piano chords ("Reflections") to funky bass guitar grooves ("Apple"). The use of live instruments gives the record that added warmth missing from modern day drum and bass dance beats. When the sound is digital, it's always strange in the world of Atmosphere. Whether the tunes sounds like a drum loop in reverse or traditional record scratching, the track is always solid and inviting.

Closing in at 19-tracks deep, "Seven's Travels" might seem like a daunting task to wade through, but after all the songs about girls, liquor and rappers who think too highly of their mediocre rhyme skills, there is an elegant finale.

"Always Coming Back Home To You" is a solid, big beat-over-nylon string guitar track that is as personal as anything written on any of Everlast's blues records, and the lyrics are as poignant as they come. "I walk past with a nod and a reminisce/ Swear to god hip hop and comic books was my genesis/ Respect the life and the fashions of the children/ It's the only culture I've got, exactly what we've been building."

And then the record ends.

Reviewed by: George Koroneos

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