Pages tagged “atmosphere”

When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold marks the sixth studio album from lyricist Slug and producer Ant. For the first time, the duo forgoes Ant's sampled beats in favor of live instrumentals to back Slug's rhymes, which results in a sound that's far more textured and intricate than their previous five efforts. The choice to employ live musicians enables Atmosphere to round up some uncharacteristic guest artists, including Tom Waits beat-boxing on "The Waitress" and TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe singing backing vocals on "Your Glasshouse." Strange pairings, yes, but they work, particularly on "The Waitress," a song written from the point of view of a homeless man that has lyrics like those straight out of Waits' catalogue.

In another marked departure from Atmosphere's previous work, Slug, who has typically used his rhymes to date as a cathartic public diary to vent about his life and relationships, has made a concerted effort here to expand his lyrics beyond his own personal experiences and become a storyteller. As such, he threads a fatherhood theme through all 15 songs on Lemons. By and large this is a successful experiment, but the lyrical nadir on the album is "The Skinny," a song about cigarette smoking that plays on a vaguely unsophisticated metaphor. Slug's words on the track trip over the fine line he tends to tread between meaningful and trite, becoming, for lack of a better word, corny.

Fans of Atmosphere's older work might find Lemons a bit sour at first; the beats are a bit softer and slower and the lyrics a bit more dense throughout. Furthermore, first single "Shoulda Known" misleads slightly, since it easily could have appeared on any of the group's last five albums. But repeated listens unveil a deeper side of Atmosphere—a complexity in both its lyrics and beats only hinted at previously. Listen closely, and you might just discover the maturation of Slug and Ant.

Minnesota hip-hop indie super-group Atmosphere has had a busy winter. First came the early December release of Sad Clown, Bad Winter Number 11 (which followed the October release of Sad Clown, Bad Fall Number 10, which followed the late August release of Sad Clown, Bad Summer Number 9...seriously, do these guys ever leave the studio?). Then came the late-December announcement that not only was another Atmosphere album (Strictly Leakage) out, but that it was available for free online.

Now, Rhymesayers has announced that the duo's "official" follow up to You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having will be released on April 22. Apparently, the bitterly cold Minnesotan winter is working to the advantage of Atmosphere's fans.

An early candidate for Album Title of 2008, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, is much more than just music. Initial pressings of the record will be packaged with a 40-page, gold-embossed, hard-cover, black-fabric book. Why 40 pages, you ask? Well, the book will include the typical lyrics and album credits alongside an illustrated children's story written by Slug himself, of course.

Yes, Slug will be the latest entertainer to foray into the world of kiddie lit, an unlikely individual to carry on the tradition of artists-turned-authors, begun by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Madonna, and carried on most recently by Kate Nash. A self-proclaimed former alcoholic, in recent years Slug has commented upon his maturity as both a rapper and as a man, inspired by the growth of his now 13-year old son, a fact reinforced by the upcoming Lemons, which was "influence by fatherhood."

Fans outside of NYC and LA will have to wait until the release date to determine whether the contents of the album live up to its utterly awesome name, because, in stark contrast to the free downloads of Strictly Leakage, Lemons will have no advance promotional copies available, outside of five "listening session" dates taking place over the next month in those coastal meccas of entertainment.

April 22 also marks the first date of Atmosphere's spring tour, when the group will hit 15 yet-to-be-released cities in the U.S. and Canada in support of the new album.

Tracklist for When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold:
1. Like the Rest of Us
2. Puppets
3. The Skinny
4. Dreamer
5. Shoulda Known
6. You
7. Painting
8. Your Glass House
9. Yesterday
10. Guarantees
11. Me
12. Wild Wild Horses
13. Can't Break
14. The Waitress
15. In Her Music Box

Related links:
Rhymesayers.com
Atmosphere on MySpace
Strictly Leakage free download

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