The new Atmosphere CD gets a strong review from the SF Bay Guardian!

So much hip-hop is directed outside, by aspiring street journalists chronicling urban life or wanna-be dramatists glamorizing corner strife. Atmosphere's Slug is more fascinated with the interiority of human life: the complexities and comedy of love and sex, the ugly realities of his profession, the constant struggle against inner demons. That Slug brings much humor to these character sketches doesn't make them less poignant -- there's always a touch of the bittersweet in his music, the inside joke that he only hints at but never fully reveals.

Critics are fond of labeling Atmosphere "emo rap," an unfortunate label (since when do emotions in hip-hop need to be qualified?), but it at least acknowledges that the group dwell mostly in the ghetto of the mind. Atmosphere's ambivalence over their own career manifests on the aloof rhymes of "Trying to Find a Balance": "While everyone was trying to outdo the last man / I was just a ghost trying to catch some Ms. Pacman." Fear not, Seven's Travels isn't a complete angst fest, and Slug shows impressive diversity in his missives. "Reflections" and "Shoes" follow his insatiable quest for female affection. "Los Angeles" is a loopy, meandering sketch of Slug's favorite city to love/hate. "Lift Her, Pull Her" powerfully narrates the story of two drifters trying to keep afloat.

Because Slug's presence looms so large, producer Ant rarely gets the credit he deserves. Seven's Travels is certainly some of his best work ever, creatively playing with samples that reference everything from '70s sweet soul to Latin rock rhythms. Slug shows his many faces, and Ant keeps up with a beat craft that proves just as malleable. Together, the two form one of the best-kept secrets in hip-hop -- people may label them alternative, but they're too gifted to simply remain cult favorites forever.

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