Atmosphere

I really can’t claim to be an expert on hip-hop music. My brief flirtation with the genre stays within the range of The Roots/A Tribe Called Quest/The Pharcyde, and much to my liking, Atmosphere sticks in that range on Sad Clown Bad Fall, choosing to be creative with its imagery over talking shit. Opening track “Peyote” actually tells a great story of a guy accidentally unknowingly running into his girlfriend’s little sister as she works in a strip club and then getting some oral love from her for a low, low price. The deliver is slick without being boastful and the track is unrelentingly catchy.

Second track “Party Over Here” starts off with its footing in the wrong place, but as the track progresses, it is obvious that the awkward start was a ruse to expose greater levels of Atmosphere’s ability to stop and turn on a dime when they seem to be running in the wrong direction. “Party Over Here” recalls Grandmaster Flash’s early classic “Birthday Party” while following track “Makes the Sun Come Out” borrows heavily from the sounds of Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters.

Like all great EPs, my interest is completely sparked in the rest of Atmosphere’s catalog. I had always heard great things about the act, but I needed that one push to really give them a chance. Sad Clown Bad Fall was just the thing to do it. The brief fifteen minutes of music come to an end with “Lyndale Avenue User’s Manual,” continuing the EP’s tight lyrical content and top notch production work. The best part of the whole Atmosphere experience is that while the songs are intelligent, they are also completely fit for a party atmosphere and never appear heavy handed in any way.

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