Music
Is the free Atmosphere worth the price?
Atmosphere: Strictly Leakage
ATMOSPHERE
Strictly Leakage
free download
Sweet post-holiday stocking stuffer or iPod space waster? That should be the only relevant question when discussing a free 13-song "album" from T.C.'s established rap statesmen; even if it sucks, it's only costing you the time it takes to skip through each track in frustration. But look deeper: Does the latest offering reveal anything about our beloved duo and their future growth?
Peaking around the time of You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having, the combination of Slug's easy-target tirades and idiosyncratic slice-of-life verbiage with Ant's feel-good soul breaks once felt revelatory; now, it's just stale. The formula: beats based on layers of soulful and/or jazzy horns and vocals, dub-influenced fat basslines, and boom-bappy but uninspired drums, with flourishes of classic breakbeats lurking around every corner to give the appearance of dynamism. Mixed into this is hipster mockery and an everyman's wit with criticisms of, ironically, their core listeners (who happen to be the easiest targets: suburban poseurs, living-with-moms playboys, wannabe MCs, and skank groupies). The illusion of complexity crumbles under Ant's dusty soul loops and Slug's harshly enunciated ABAB rhyme structures. The most glaring example is the posse cut "Crewed Up," where Ant's laid-back groove allows the seven local guesters—even relative unknowns like St. Paul Slim and YZ—to steal the show from Slug. Although these tracks contain, at the very least, an infectious swagger and the same wry humor we've all come to love (like requesting a gym where Slug can "smoke up in there" while working out), the tired messages of songs like "That's Not Beef, That's Pork" reveal what is quickly becoming reality: The once-bright style Atmosphere became famous for is so established and well-tread that it has now become the status quo they once rebelled so infectiously against.