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Atmosphere’s Sean Daly, AKA Slug, proved his
wily, clandestine, and flatly, bare-bones promotional
campaign for When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint
That Shit Gold a pure act of genius, dropping the
album straight into number five on the charts on
it’s release date (April 22, 2008).
Daly dictated a frustrating and elusive promotional
campaign that allowed absolutely zero promotional
copies of When Life… to be released—not
even to his own publicist, who had to fly to New
York City and sit in on a private listening session
in a bar. That session, another the same in Los
Angeles, and one at the top of the Hilton in Austin
Texas were the only opportunities anyone got to
here the record prior to it’s drop; and
this is precisely why you are reading reviews
of the album a week after it’s release rather
than a week prior. Most publications had no idea
what to review. But clearly the public did.
When Life… takes atmosphere and friends
on a whole new adventure, boasting all live instrumentation
(with the exception of beats), a guest appearance
from TOM FREEKING WAITS, and a phenomenal packaging
design that emulates the classic Little Golden
Book of any 70’s kid’s childhood collection—forty
pages of lyrics with cunning illustrations from
MK Larada. (The disc even comes with a blank space,
“This album belongs to ________________.
If you recall the Little Golden Book series, they
had the same feature in the first page so you
could dedicate your copy of Hansel and Grettle
er whatnot to yourself.)
Besides the intense curiosity that Daly garnered
from his non-promotion, the disc itself earns
its credibility without a doubt. It brings a tear
to the eye and a clinched fist to any parent who
grew up in the 80’s, came of age in the
90’s, and created a family in a rock-and-roll
world with the wholly new set of values that we
face being the first generation of functional
forward-thinkers who don’t spank they kids
for putting manic panic in they hair. We the generation
that buys it for them, and puts ‘em in studded
belts for they first day of Kindy-garden!
Daly tackles serious topics of street shit, relationships
and the realities of parenthood in the real world
with all the finesse of the flashy Snoop and Biggy
big ballin’ set. But, it’s truly a
breath of fresh air and an inspiration to hear
somebody get on this real shit with such talent
and flat realness.
There’s really little more to be said about
this masterpiece. You either buy it and hear it
or you live a slighted life and you fucking lose.
www.myspace.com/atmosphere
www.rhymesayers.com
Jef Hoskins
April 30, 2008
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