Atmosphere
Seven's Travels
Epitaph (2003)
"Atmosphere finally made a good record, yeah right, that shit almost sounds convincing...." Almost. Actually, not at all. Sometimes underground hip hop boggles my mind. I'll admit, there are lots of great artists that remain 'underground' or at least avoid regular MTV video rotation and major success. Not to say that either being hugely successful or "staying true to the underground" have any qualities that put one over the other, both have a vast array of garbage sprinkled with a few delightful treats, just like any other genre. What does the boggling is how far underground cred can carry you. Plenty of acts can garner plenty of praise from the underground hip hop kids even if it is just as unoriginal, repetitive, and all around poorly written as some of the mainstream hip hop people love to make fun of. Case in point, Atmosphere. Sure, the Lucy Ford EPs were alright. They were the real introduction to Slug's introspective and female-inspired lyrical style. At the time, it was somewhat interesting. Most rappers were too hard to express any kind of vulnerability and any ability to recognize their vulnerability, but Slug executed it fairly well. I'd still say even Atmosphere's early … Read more
Mates of State
Team Boo
Polyvinyl (2003)
Everyone needs something cute every once in a while... once in a while. Too much can make you vomit, but … Read more
Constantines
Shine A Light
Sub Pop (2003)
I'm from California. I live near the ocean. I like driving. I like watching baseball. I'm the outside world's perception … Read more
