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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pure genius, 6 Sep 2002
By A Customer
At the center of the Rhymesayers crew is a group known as Atmosphere. After a steady stream of succesful releases, they have easily established themselves as one of the undergrounds best. There is a unique formula to this, which is based around the diverse, "abstract" lyrics Slug constructs to complement the intricate sounds produced by ANT. The poetic creations are a welcomed refreshment to the boring, played out thug music we hear on the radio everyday.Things start out well with the opening cut "Onemosphere", featuring what can only be described as a chopped up, somewhat random, harp melody. Slug flows confidently, something we have come to expect from him - stating "Atmosphere, and maybe you don't like us // but of all the stars in the sky, believe we're one of the brightest". It is the next song, entitled "The Bass And The Movement", where the problems that lie within "God Loves Ugly" become evident. It isn't necessarily the production which is the negative aspect of this song, more-so the lyrics. The song in itself comes across as a sharp contrast from the more intellectual, meaningful exhibits we have been presented with before (ie. 'The Woman With The Tattooed Hands'). It's the kind of song that leaves you thinking, "what was that all about?". The track would most probably sound better on another underground artists CD, however - on an Atmosphere CD? Nah, it just doesn’t sound right. Criticism can also be aimed at several of the rather simplistic hooks, especially on "Flesh" - the strange lyrics just sound very awkward over the beat making it anything but enjoyable. The vast amount of unquestionably good tracks allow the listener to easily forget the minor faults. "F*@k You Lucy" yet again proves that Slug is at his best when on the topic of females. The emotion Slug develops throughout the song helps the listener to understand his pain and feelings, making it the classic it is - "I studied my mother, I digested her pain // and vowed no women on my path would have to walk the same". Other tracks that deserve a mention are "Saves The Day" which boasts some of the albums best production (there is something about the melody that makes you want to kick back and relax), "Lovelife", "God Loves Ugly" and "One Of A Kind". Perhaps one of the positive aspects of this album, is that it relies heavily upon the listener to decipher, digest and then discover the actual meaning of the poetic masterpieces. The hidden meaning can be taken in different ways, which in some cases would allow the listener to find their own meaning of which they can relate to personally. Whatever the meaning taken, Slug lets you into his heart, mind and soul through expressing his anger, pain and emotion – something which many rappers struggle to achieve. This release will certainly help further substantiate Atmosphere's status in the underground, however they're now at the level were they will not break anymore ground - unless they were to venture and appeal to a wider scoped audience. It's very doubtful this will happen though, so we should be grateful (despite the one or two tracks which fault the CD) that Atmosphere have graced us with music that we can fully appreciate and understand without it being ruined by the mainstream market and its fans.
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~ Atmosphere
~ Atmosphere
~ Atmosphere
~ Atmosphere
~ Atmosphere
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