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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.
Atmosphere's
appearance on David Letterman, July 2008.
www.myspace.com/atmosphere
www.rhymesayers.com
www.monolithfestival.com
-Jef Hoskins
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