5 out of 5
This is technically the second album that Atmosphere has released this year, after the free-download Strictly Leakage from earlier this year, and upon first comparison, it’s not nearly as much of a party record, but it IS a great, sing-song-y, alternately bouncy and mournful, piano-heavy, mature record, whether it’s the smooth-jazz summer-breeze-y music of the opener, “Like the Rest of Us,” or the revival-tent gospel blues of the second track, “Puppets” (which also features an excellent turn on back up vocals by Channy Casselle of the band Roma di Luna). This album is actually full of experimentation: Slug and Ant also explore Minus the Bear-style indie rock-robot-R&B by way of Prince-ly funk on “Dreamer” and “You,” 80s B-movie sci-fi synths (“The Skinny”), Goblin-meets-TV on the Radio-esque hip-hop (“Your Glasshouse,” “Can’t Break”), slide guitar (“Painting”), and even one song that sounds like G. Love (of the Special Sauce) with a serious chip on his shoulder (“Guarantees”). What works the best in this album’s favor though, is that much like the greatest musical storytellers (like Tom Waits, who beatboxes on “The Waitress”), Slug is at his peak when he’s finding himself and enlightenment in other peoples’ lives and stories. Because the songs on this record are, at Slug’s admission, fiction, that bodes incredibly well for those listening at home.
=james
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