Atmosphere, When Life Gives You Lemons…

I sat out to write a review of the new Atmosphere album, When Life Gives You Lemons. Paint That Shit Gold. It comes out today. I play the roll of official indie rap guy to a certain segment of Central Ohio, I suppose. So I feel like I should say something.

However, upon listening to this record I once again came to two reoccuring conclusions.

1. The last Atmosphere album that I was the audience for was LucyFord.

Take the above video of “Shoulda Known”. There are parts of it there for me. I respect the electro-ish beat. The grainy filming has a Terry Richardsonish vibe. Slug sounds like he is dissing cocaine on this too. I ride for that. At least dood isn’t rhyming about windmills, how bad the radio sucks, or saving rap. But still something about the video and song screams Suicide Girls to me. So it loses me.

Thats the best way I can describe why I can’t really bump or hate the new Atmosphere album. I guess I need more Tom Waits (who beat boxes on the album), and less Warped Tour to be into it. But the difference between old indie rock doods, and Emo Pop-punk fans is prolly 100,000 records. And since the last Atmos record pushed 120k, though I don’t like Suicide Girls, you prolly do.

2. I don’t understand internet album reviews when people can just stream or download music.

Someone providing context, information and comedy make sense to me as far as talking about something that readers may find as an involuntary pass of 2 minutes of time at work. Me vs. The TPC reports. We all like music so that mutual interest is the reason online music related commentary exists especially when the other option is tedious office work.

But why would you read about a game when you could spend the time watching it? I mean if someone has a good joke about Kobe Bryant being a rapist. Thats funny. If someone tries to describe how Kobe dribbles a ball thats boring. Have you ever had anyone recap a Saturday Day Night Live skit for you? Life can’t be that dull.

So fuck albums reviews, really. The internet lets you test drive music:

I would like to comment on the above you tube clip of “In Her Music Box”, though.

Its the last song on the new Atmosphere album. It depicts a somewhat disturbing, and most certainly realistic story of a little girl riding backseat to her fathers manchild trap-rap delusions. In some ways “In Her Music Box” is almost a counterpoint to a song I adore, “Hip Hop Change My Life” by Lupe Fiasco. On one of the most poignant tracks off Lupe’s dense album, The Cool. the so-called Islamic Jihadist humanizes without glorifying an H-Town duece chucking father who finds solace and reason to live in rap.

Lupe’s song was about an artist not a fan. It’s about a untalented guy that the passion to make Hip Hop creates a new hope out of a bleak setting. Its valid.

At the same time, Talking rhythmically in riddles does create some pathetic denials of reality.

I mean if you repeat verbal mantras to yourself then it could enable you to mistake a quartertank of gas, being high and owning a burnt cd with driving a hummer on the moon like Jeezy, or Lil Boosie. Or whoever made “A Pimp In My Own Mind”. Sometimes you might just be a loser who smoke nickels bags and talk about things in a disinteresting way.

Much like a blogger.

So at least Atmosphere is still saying somethings that are relavant to real life. Can’t say that about most indie rap or internet reviews.