does she still live for discovering new jams?
sweet beats? ramble about lame nobody cares about trend buzz bands?
sorta, kinda. this week at least.
e'rybody knows i heart me some mad slug action. and dang, was i super hella righteously stoked for the family sign. ever since i caught word that sluggo was droppin' a new full length, his follow up to 09's 'when life gives you lemons, you paint that shit gold,' and 'blood makes the blade holy, to all my friends' dual ep effort, i was like WHOA. the first single 'just for show' was bangin' on the nose. total ex-lover 'you dont really want, you dont really want me to goooooo'. that shit was on repeat.
but then that second single, 'she's enough?' sigh. cmon man, you can do better. and then i heard that camping song. and then the over synth dub. and then. . . aw man, where the heck is my lucy ford, god loves ugly, reflections, modern man hustle? well, it ain't on this record. but you know what? just like lemon's, this shit eventually grew on me. there are some pretty tight joints on here.
i wrote a ramble for chirp. a review of sorts (which got chopped down cuz i sorta geeked out a lil.) if you weren't a fan of atmosphere before the family sign, you def won't be after the family sign. but if you were hardcore gangstaaaa like me before, i wouldn't give up just yet. mr. sean daley always has a welcome spot on my iPod, fleckled in bird poop residue or not.
Atmosphere/The Family Sign/Rhymesayers/2011
The last couple Atmosphere records took more than a handful of listens before I was able to fully appreciate the newer direction Slug, aka Sean Daley, aka ½ of the Minnesotan indie hip hop duo Atmosphere, has taken his and Ant’s latest dark grown up style--(And this is coming from Super Atmosphere Mega Fan 10000, for realizes Google image “slug atmosphere” and you’ll see me geeking outs aside him SXSW ‘08 on page 6). Long gone are the days of over honest grit rhymes of slitting throats, bitter tales of self-deprecating love gone awry, groupie invitations and Midwestern binging.
While 2008’s When Life Gives You Lemons took a more story telling turn, The Family Sign continues on a fictional spiel of adulthood, but regardless of slick production and Slug’s conversational speak rap delivery, some of the tracks may leave listeners scratching their heads. The production has never been better, yet numbers like “Became,” (Camping? Wolves? Really Slug? I get this is a metaphor and stuff, but dang . . . gimme Lucy Ford back), and “Bad Bad Daddy” (almost killed the record) are straight up cringe worthy if you pay a millisecond to the lyrical content. Those bummers aside, The Family Sign remains a pretty solid effort. From the opening dreamy guitar/bass strums of album beginner “My Key,” to the synth heavy beds of “Ain’t Nobody, “its apparent fans are taken on a different kinda ride than past Atmosphere efforts. The real treats are hidden amongst the album, including the slow-down gem “Who I’ll Never Be” and the western accordion infused “Ain’t Nobody.” Album closer “My Notes” is a brief (1:39) flirtation to what the album’s got to offer if you want just a taste; while singles “Just for Show” and “She’s Enough” are exactly the banger beats you’d expect outta Daley.
Recommended: 4, 8, 10, 5, 13, 14, 1
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