I was introduced to the group over three years ago, when a friend of mine made a mix with "The Waitress" off of When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold. I remember how I was so perplexed at the depth of the song, and the twist that accompanied it at its end (if you don't know what I'm referring to, you should go listen to this album immediately). I actually started with Life Gives You Lemons before working my way down the Atmosphere catalog (which is actually pretty extensive). Atmosphere, made up of MC Sean Daley (Slug) and Producer Anthony Davis (Ant), have been in the hip hop genre for over 20 years surprisingly, releasing six studio albums over that span as well as 10 EP's (although their first release didn't come out until over 8 years from when they got started as a group). The two hail from Minneapolis, MN, and to my knowledge at least, they are the only significant act in hip-hop that call the Twin Cities their home.
What makes Atmosphere so interesting though, isn't from where they're roots are entrenched, but in the style of music that they perform. Classified as drivers of the "independent" rap movement (wikipedia at least believes so), Atmosphere has never been a group that has really gained the attention of many radio stations nationwide. This doesn't reflect at all however, on how good the group actually is. In fact, it's almost a testament to how committed they are to their particular style that they still have yet to turn their attention to mainstream. But what's even more interesting about Slug and Ant is that they are the only group that I can identify as sharing the same demographic (at least somewhat) as I do. They're both white and both from low-middle class backgrounds. The status quo in hip-hop, it seems, is that you either grow up in the streets and (usually) are black, or you have strong musical backgrounds in your family that you continue on (such as Weezy).
Slug, though, is nothing like the status quo. And what's even more refreshing is that you can tell by the words he rhymes in his music. He hates celebrities (see "National Disgrace"), he's sometimes suicidal (see "Between the Lines") and he relates with others who share his same position (see "Like the Rest of Us"). The thing that separates himself from Eminem, the most famous caucasian rapper in existence, is that Shady had a dark side that Slug doesn't and has never really had. Slim used this to shock the rest of the world, and subsequently, become one of the greatest selling artists of the modern era. Daley, on the other hand, is just like the majority of Americans today and tells it like it is. There is no shock value to what he raps; it's just thoughts that any poor middle-class American may have from time to time. Normalcy, however, is the exact quality that makes him so different from every other rapper that I hear.
Atmosphere has always been a good rap group, but it wasn't until I heard Life Gives You Lemons that I elevated them into the "great" discussion. Lemons was Atmosphere's magnum opus and it seemed that the group was just starting to actually peak after 19 years of being in the business. Lemons was also among numerous "Top Ten" lists at the end of 2008 and you could certainly make a strong argument that it was the best hip-hop album of the entire year (to which I would disagree, being that Q-Tip's The Renaissance and Nas's Untitled were still slightly better). So after a three year hiatus (with an EP released in the meantime), Atmosphere was back this year with their latest studio album, The Family Sign. Slug said before it's release that it was an album devoted to describing many of the issues he experienced in his family while growing up and that it had a much darker tone than Lemons. With Slug and Ant deciding to take this route, I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I knew I would still make sure to get a copy regardless, being that I gained that type of respect for Atmosphere already.
But how much different was Family Sign than Lemons or any of Atmosphere's previous work? Here's what I found.
1. My Key
An important change in this album that I noticed quickly was that Daley and Davis employed the services of Nate Collis (guitar) and Erick Anderson (keyboard) to provide live instrumentation. I've always liked Ant's sampling better than any attempt at live instruments for Atmosphere, but at least early on in this song, it sounded pretty good. This is a nice touch, it lasts too long though, since Slug doesn't appear on the mic until nearly two minutes into the song. While it's clear that nothing's changed in Slugs delivery (which has always been stellar), I couldn't put a finger on exactly what he was talking about in his verse. I think, and this is only a guess, but that the song is directed at someone he's loved, considering he says "we made some babies/we made some messes too". Yet, I also have the inclination to believe that he's talking as if he is his father talking to his mom, since this is an album supposed to be about much of Daley's family life (but again, it's only guessing). The song starts out lighter, but the mood darkens significantly by the end, giving me the impression that this is not going to be a very pleasant road down Slug's memory lane.
2. The Last to Say
The song starts out with an eery feel to it, but when the guitar drops, things warm up a little. At least musically. Slug begins to tell his story in third person, describing how he "was safe from dad's rage/cuz mama always sacrificed in his place" and going into more detail on how the mother lived for 24 years like this "avoiding the hair losing hair from the fear". Unfortunately, his mom didn't have the courage to leave her abusive husband until he ended up dying himself. The word play here is, as in most cases with Slug, extremely well done, with an example being "the biggest beating was the day that he died/cuz now it's too late for here to make another life" (and this is shit that happens everywhere that I barely hear other rappers addressing, so while it's solemn in tone, it is refreshing in the sense that I'm hearing something new). This anger that developed over the years seems to have been inherited in her son (which I'm assuming is Slug) and he explains how noone else could never understand what he had to witness when he was young. In this case, the keyboard/guitar instrumentation is a great complement to Ant's beat, creating a depressing undertone for Slug's story. The second verse tries to be more optimistic as Slug tries to give his mother advice to escape the life she lives with her husband, but its a little short. Otherwise, though, this is as accurate a description as I've ever heard of domestic violence in song form.
3. Became
When Slug retires (which I feel won't be anytime soon), he'll have a lot to choose from if he ever wanted to pick a track that really assessed how good he is at creating a story with rhymes. This song though, could be the one I'd advise him to choose. The story is told in chronological order, with no hook to interrupt it. Slug describes an experience he has in the woods where he loses a friend, supposedly to wolves, until, to his horror, he discovers something beyond what he'd ever expected. Daley does an incredible job of describing this experience (it makes me believe this may have even happened to him) and he does it in a way that keeps you completely focused on what he has to say. The real beauty of the song, though, is the ending, which had me pondering on the true meaning of the song for days. Did Daley's friend literally become what he thought? Or was the entire song a metaphor of describing how he thought he knew someone but he finally realizes who this person actually is? What makes this song even more effective is how the piano keys and beat behind Slug speed up as his anxiety grows. It really does make you feel how he does, and that is something really hard to achieve without something visual to complement it. I don't even need a video for this because of how well Slug tells his story. One of the best I've heard all year, in all honesty.
4. Just for Show
A big change in tone from the previous three tracks, this one speeds things up a little with more help from Collis and his guitar. Slug uses this song to attack a previous girlfriend (or current, who knows) and he does a serious psychoanalysis into his partner, for example "Now you wanna threaten me, is that what you're telling me? Like if i don't step it up, what you gonna step from me? Where you gonna go? You next to me steadily At this point it's like I'm joined with your chemistry". While it's nothing groundbreaking, and it does take a serious turn from the earlier subjects Slug discusses, it's still an interesting listen and I did enjoy the beat that came out of this one. It's just not quite on the level as the last two tracks I heard.
5. She's Enough
OK, here's the first big misstep with the live instruments idea. I fucking hated the guitar riffs and beat for this, which hurt really any chance I'd have of trying to say this is worth my time. Fortunately (well, not so much) Slug also gives his three worst verses of the entire album to this point, so I won't even feel bad skipping it because there's nothing here lyrically to keep me interested. I wasn't crazy about the overall theme of the song either, which was a complete 180 from the previous track.
6. Bad Bad Daddy
Slug is a "bad bad daddy" in this and this is a bad, bad song. I think it's supposed to be more of a satire than anything, but regardless, nothing really works for it, so it's another skip. (And again, the guitar just doesn't sound that good. Now I'm really longing for some Ant sampling)
7. Millennium Dodo
Just as I was getting frustrated about not enough sampling, it seems as if Ant was reading my mind. It's the first song that is dominated by a sample more than anything else, and while it's not great, it's still an improvement over the last two tracks. Slug does sound better on it and he does a good job when describing his experience in the bar "I'm coolin in the corner with my custom pool stick/My grandad must've played the jazz/When I bleed you can hear my heartbeat snap/All around the world, it's the same bar/Wishin that the jukebox had some Gangstarr." The guitar starts to make more of an appearance as the song wears on, and while it doesn't improve the song in any way really, it doesn't do enough to hurt it, and that's a good thing. This is a song I could've seen more on Lemons, but I'll take it as it is.
8. Who I'll Never Be
And we're back to this acoustic bullshit. I was hoping that we'd get at least a little more of what "Dodo" had to offer, but no, Slug and Ant decide that they're really sticking to the instrumentals rather than samples. The background sounds like Slug is sitting somewhere south of the border and reminiscing. To my surprise, while I still am in favor of sampling, it doesn't sound that horrible. I'm also starting to wonder where the hell the family stuff Slug described earlier had gone. This is another song directed towards another female, and while there is a chance it could be someone in his family, I think the chances are pretty fucking slim.
9. I Don't Need Brighter Days
Ant decides to make his presence felt again, but the sample is weaker than the one he uses for "Dodo". The hook on this is fucking awful ("you've got me walking away, you've got me walking away now") and Slug is anything great here. Not to say he sounds terrible, but it's just very average, and that has me walking away from this song.
10. Ain't Nobody
Ughh, another horrible hook and the guitar doesn't sound much better. This honestly sounds like shit I'd hear on a fucking Disney show soundtrack ("yeah, I came to party, but I don't want to party with you", I could seriously see this reincarnated in a kids musical or something alike in the future). I'm losing interest in this album fast.
11. Your Name Here
The return of Anderson and the keyboard is a nice one and it's the first song I don't have to trudge through since "Dodo". This one focuses on an ex that Slug happens to meet by chance and he explains how he doesn't need her anymore "let's not make this into an issue, but the truth is, I don't miss you". The hook is considerably better than much of what's on the album (although it's not spectacular) but this is an above average song to say the least. It's not raising my hopes that this album will blow me away in the final three tracks, though.
12. You Can Save Me Now
This sounds something more like the stuff I was hearing earlier in the album, and that's a good thing. Slug returns (well not really returns, just returning to telling something that is actually worth hearing) to his storytelling and it's another reflection piece. He takes the position as the father figure again in this track, and it takes the view of Slug being involved in an accident. I'm assuming he's on the brink of death, but this is a really cool track because it describes something that I feel is very real if it does happen, unfortunately of course, to you in life. People always say in near-death experiences that they see their life flash before their eyes, which is exactly the angle Slug takes here. "It reminds me of when i was younger. used to count down to the sound of thunder i smell fresh cut grass mixed with the burnt rubber" is probably a pretty good description of what he would be thinking if he actually was involved in an fatal accident. I thought it was a really cool idea he presents that "for the first time, I remember being born" on this as well (because maybe that is the only time you will ever recount that memory. How fitting you would remember your birth for the first time as you experience life for the last). Now only if Slug would have done more shit like this on the album.
13. Something So
This one isn't as strong as the previous track, but it does seem genuine and Slug does a good job at painting a picture of leaving an old life behind (or maybe death, really). I also think this is more of a "thank you" to his parents, even though he may have gone through a lot of turmoil with them, with a good example being this:
"We only get to live one time, but twice did my life stand in some sunshine/I could lose eyesight, I could end up blind/But I drew my design inside the bloodline/Years go by, memories combine/But y'all the only reason I would even rewind"
So, even with everything he's been through, he still appreciates his family and it leaves me with hope for him. It's also one of the very few, maybe the only one, songs that left me with a smile. Surprisingly though, this is not the last track on the album (although it seems as if it should be).
14. My Notes
I'm not sure whether I would've ended with "Something So" or this, but I think this is good enough to make me believe that either one would really work. The instruments sound pretty good on here and this is more of a forecast than a memory. Slug also lets his fans and audience know that he's not leaving his "soap box" "as long has I can hit my notes". While this album has proven to not be anything terrific, I'm glad we will still have more to expect from Daley in the future.
Closing Statement: First thing's first, this is no Lemons. Not by a longshot. The album starts out with tremendous promise and then takes a turn for the worst fast. What's unfortunate is that by the time Slug and Ant get things together, it's already too late to really save this album from being anything than slightly above average. I also was really confused at the writing for this. It's like Slug penned tracks 1-4 in a sitting, left, got fucked up on something, came back and wrote everything from "She's Enough" to "Ain't Nobody", left, sobered up, then came back focused and wrote the rest of the album. The tracks in the heart of the album are so far off from the first third and last that I can only hope that this was the case. It's also a shame, because most listeners won't be patient enough to get through tracks 6-10 and they'll leave before they get a chance to hear the final section of the album, which is actually pretty good. What Slug and Ant do have working for them is that "The Last to Say" and "Became" come at the beginning of the album, and any hip hop head should at least give these both a listen because they are fantastic (especially "Became"). The task of following up Lemons for Daley and Davis was pretty much impossible from the start, so producing something less than that level is nothing to be too upset about. It's just not their best, and I can only hope they see that sign and return to more of the formula that made Lemons so good in the first place.
The Verdict: If you're an Atmosphere fan, you'll want to pick this one up, even if it's not one of the group's best efforts. Otherwise, I'd just find "The Last to Say", "Became", and the final four tracks to add to your library. Usually I'd say support Atmosphere by buying it because they need the album sales $ more than anyone, but since this debuted at #13 on its release, I'd venture to guess the two aren't hurting at the moment, so I don't think they'd be too hurt if you only listen to part of this.
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