When Atmosphere’s latest EP(‘s) dropped a few months back, I planned on posting two of my favorites (that weren’t pre-released), but decided to sit on ’em until the pre-releases’, To All My Friends & Freefallin’, hype died down.
A couple days ago Atmosphere’s team posted a video featuring “The Best Day” on Facebook, which was one of the songs I planned on posting, so I thought this would be a better time than any. The video comprises mostly of live shots from Atmosphere tours and other […]
[audio:The-Best-Day.mp3,Americareful.mp3|titles=The Best Day, Americareful](Download Link in Full Article)
In an interview with Ryan Olson on The Local Show, Ryan talks about some of his favorite music from the Midwest, one being from Doomtree’s very own Cecil Otter.
The song he talks about, Traveling Dunk Tank, is off of Doomtree’s first album, False Hopes. I talked about one of False Hopes‘s singles, Flex, a year back, but I had to showoff the rest of the album, thanks to Ryan.
Unlike Doomtree’s latest self-titled album, False Hopes is set up with one hit after another. It’s just one of those […]
[audio:Slow-Burn.mp3,No-Homeowners.mp3,Traveling-Dunk-Tank.mp3|titles=Slow Burn,No Homeowners (Renter’s Rebate),Traveling Dunk Tank](Download Link in Full Article)
Atmosphere’s latest EP, To All My Friends, Blood Makes The Blade Holy: The Atmosphere EP’s, is set to release Tuesday, the 4th of September. Just in time for their summer end tour.
Two songs have already been released off the EP, “To All My Friends” about two weeks ago and “Freefallin'” just today. The two have a similar vibe with a laid-back country, summer-daze and a smooth hittin’ beat. Slug lays some reflective lines on both, which, if not like always, seems to be a theme for the EP. Like his music, he seems to be maturing with age, bringing on a new style any fan will come to appreciate.
Alright, I’m off to the North Coast festival this weekend. Can’t wait to see Pretty Lights live for the first time! Maybe I’ll hit up Atmosphere’s Madison set on the 8th, the first stop on the tour… I wish.
[audio:Freefallin.mp3|titles=Freefallin’](Download Link in Full Article)
I was gonna feature “Deja Vu” back in November of last year, but I thought I’d wait till the album was released. Well, I still haven’t listened to the album, so I thought I’d drop this before I do.
What hooked me to Analyrical – other than his Minnesota ties – was his style. Lately I’ve seen the majority of Minneapolis MC’s gear their style towards the lyrically driven East Coast. And as much love as I have for it, over the years I’ve gone Westward bound towards the more laid-back, soul/funk driven style.
Now, I wouldn’t say Analyrical has a West Coast style, just more west in his Midwest style. Give “Deja Vu” a listen and tell me what you think of it. I’m still trying to figure out the whole classification thing, though it’s becoming more & more obsolete these days.
[audio:Deja-Vu.mp3|titles=Deja Vu](Download Link in Full Article)
“To All My Friends” originally debuted at Soundset 2010, but was officially released today to kick off Atmosphere’s To All My Friends tour.
The song has a laid-back vibe reminiscent of the group’s latest album, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold. Leave it to Slug to lay down some sentimental goodness. He talks about his earlier years, wanting to be an artist: painting & drawing, but dropped it after he fell in love with the turntable. Somehow he’s stayed humble through it all and sure shows it through his lyrics.
The tour runs through September into October mostly covering the West and Midwest areas. Hopefully, I can hit up the Chicago set, there isn’t anything in Minnesota this time around (I guess we have it good enough).
On a side note, what do you all think of FELT I can’t seem to get into ’em like I do with Slug’s & Murs’s other projects…
[audio:To-All-My-Friends.mp3|titles=To All My Friends]
What the hell’s a Doomtree anyway My guess is it’s got something to do with the Tree of Life, maybe its arch enemy!… maybe not. Doomtree is a collective consisting of a mix of MC’s and DJ/producers from Minneapolis, including Paper Tiger. I’ve been following Doomtree ever since I heard “Flex” – check it, guaranteed like. And now for the second time, one of the group members has created a solo project – Paper Tiger’s Made Like Us.
My first thoughts after listening to Made Like Us was that it’s got some killer beats and vocals, namely Dessa, but why not include some of the MC’s I’ve come to love with Paper Tiger’s beats A recent interview with Paper Tiger at Sunset in the Rearview brought up this very question. Apparently he wanted to go solo on this one and make it all his own. Now the question is if he pulled it off… (I’d say so)
Question: On the last track of the album, “Cigana” has about half a minute of silence in the middle – why is it that on some albums the last track has a silent part towards the middle or at the end The first person who can answer this for me will get entered into the contest we’re holding next month- I really want to know!
[audio:2ndDayBack.mp3,Cigana.mp3|titles=2nd Day Back,Cigana](Download Link in Full Article)
Way back in ’08 I was obsessed with a little known group from Minneapolis called Doomtree. I was just getting over my fixation with Flex, a song from their False Hopes album, when I heard news of an upcoming release. “Drumsticks” premiered on the group’s site a couple weeks later, and the beat blew me away. Its natural sounds with a heavy kick bass made the hairs on my neck stand up. I couldn’t wait for the release, and when it rolled around I was in for a surpise… unfortunately, not a good one. The album didn’t come close to that of False Hopes, and although, it packed in a few noticeable tracks, the album as a whole was nothing praiseworthy. I still love this track, though, and I know you will too.
I actually wanted to show y’all the video of “Drumsticks” that made “the hairs on my neck stand up”, but all I could come up with was something they did after the release (found here). I gotta say the video isn’t all that impressive; partly because of the “bicycle gang” (not my thing), but mostly due to the shotty camera work and poor video editing. So instead I put up a video from another song off the album, “Game Over”, which is not only a good listen but highly entertaining, and also has some nice shots of the city.
Enjoy it all, and make sure you share your thoughts. I can’t tell y’all enough how much I love to hear your opinions, it helps me determine what and what not to post up on here!
[audio:Drumsticks.mp3|titles=Drumsticks](Download Link in Full Article)
Mel Gibson and the Pants is one of the groups I love to show off to others; (1) because anyone outside of Minnesota doesn’t know about ’em, (2) the instrumentals are a complete mashup of a few different genres, unlike anything I’ve ever heard before, and (3) Harold Sander’s (MC for the group) voice is sexy as hell. They’ll actually be my most featured group on here after this is released (other features of MGP include w/ Guitar, as well as a single from the album, Beat it Loose). The group may not be the most prolific in quality hits, but when they hit it, they hit it right, and Paper Shaper Shifter hits it right…
Paper Shaper Shifter is one of the first songs I really got into with MGP. It’s a little different from their usual drum & bass, electro-rock beat, but still shows their unique style of music. As always, Harold Sander’s comes up with some interesting lryics, voiced in a stylish & saucy way. I was actually going to name this site after some of the lyrics off this song, “my biorhythm is awesome” (the site was originally going to be BiorhythmAwesome.com, among others), but I liked Silence Nogood best.
[audio:PaperShaperShifter.mp3|titles=Paper Shaper Shifter](Download Link in Full Article)
This was probably the most trouble I’ve had trying to pick out a song from a certain artist… ever! Atmosphere is one of the most prolific rap groups out there (good prolific, not bad). So, I decided to feature two songs off his album, You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having… lucky for you! ;) Atmosphere may not be my favorite hip-hop group, but they’re definitely one of the most respected. They’ve been consistently good, with every single album bringing something new & different. The group actually came out with a free album online, Strictly Leakage, which I featured a song from, called Crewed Up, about two months back. Not only that, the two started a record label, Rhymesayers Entertainment, back in ’95 that sports some of the best underground acts i’ve seen in a while.
Sean Daley (MC for the group) is a true character, and is an all around genuine act (for good or bad). Every time I see him online he’s reppin’ Minnesota, praising how much he loves it. Though, I can’t really blame him, grew up there myself, and it’s a beautiful & unique place. But back to Atmo, Daley might be the driving force of the group, but Anthony Davis (DJ, Producer) is the backbone with beats that seemed destined for Daley’s rhymes. Check out The Arrival & Musical Chairs to get a glimpse of what these guys can do! I will definitely be featuring more of this talented group, so subscribe to my RSS feed, so you’re well informed… and so I feel more liked :)
[audio:TheArrival.mp3,MusicalChairs.mp3|titles=The Arrival,Musical Chairs](Download Link in Full Article)
I consider Atmosphere one of the best hip-hop groups of all time. Some may argue differently, but both Slug (MC) & Ant (DJ & producer) have created a style that’s helped inspire a new era of hip-hop. Not just that, the two set Twin Cities on the “hip-hop map” (and I will forever be greatful).
In ’95, the two decided to create their own independent label, Rhymesayers Entertainment, with the help of Brent Sayers, Musab S’ad Ali and Derek Turner. Rhymesayers house some of the premiere names in underground hip-hop, and is no doubt becoming one of the best independent labels.
Over their 16 year reign, Atmosphere has created six LP’s with numerous quality hits, and a whole lot of side projects, as well. This is what sets Atmosphere apart from many others, they are consistent in quality, coming out with fresh, innovative music over and over… and over again. For their first feature, I decided to go with Crewed Up because (1) it’s not that well-known, and (2) it features some of Rhymesayer’s best acts.
Crewed Up begins with Stage One’s naturally smooth & melodic voice. He, like most artists one here, seem to produce a naturally flowing wit. Next up, St. Paul Slim takes over with one of the best flows on the track with a humorous & sarcastic rhyme. The next few MC’s (Muja Messiah, YZ, Brother Ali & Tok Wright) do a great job of keeping with the beat, and yet add their own distinct flavor.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of YZ & Blueprint (mentioned later), but compare ’em to today’s mainstream, and they aren’t half bad. I saw Toki Wright & Brother Ali back at college in good ol’ Tucson. I thought Wright did a fine job opening for Ali (from then on I was a fan), but Ali’s performance was mediocre at best, even though I’ve got a lot of respect for his work over the years.
Second to last, Blueright gives a decent performance, but really nothing to write home about. His name isn’t mentioned above because I ran out of room, :/ so i’ll give him a link to redeem myself. :) Finally, Slug wraps (or raps) it up in a way in which is all his own – the man can weave his rhymes with ease (or presumably so). Overall, this may not be on Atmosphere’s “best of” compilation, but it does showcase some of what the Rhymsayers crew have to offer.
Also, mad respect for Ant in providing another fine-tune.
[audio:CrewedUp.mp3|titles=Crewed Up](Download Link in Post)