The Wake

Atmosphere: You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having

Since the first HeadShots tape hit the South Minneapolis pavement in 1993, Atmosphere has been representing Twin Cities hip-hop with fellow underground heavyweights Rhymesayers Entertainment. In recent years, their appeal has spread beyond the frigid winterland of “Minnesnowta,” developing into a nationally-recognized act. As the face and voice of Atmosphere, Slug’s popularity has soared, largely due to his ability to provide gut-wrenchingly emotional accounts of his experiences and personal relationships. Not surprisingly, many of Slug’s fans are female, summed up best on “Bam”: “We land up in your table like dinnertime/ asinine amount of women in the ticket line.”

Each release has garnered them much acclaim and criticism. However, one thing remains indisputable: they’re in it for the art form. On “Watch Out,” Slug addresses critics and opposing emcees in an obdurate club-banger, laced by Ant dishing jabs like, “Turn your mic off / and turn the lights off / Whoever put your record out / must’ve needed write offs.”

With You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having, Slug, Ant, and Mr. Dibbs bring fans a meticulously crafted medley of hip-hop in distinct Atmosphere fashion. Borrowing from the early days of the B-Boy era, the trio offers an album that will appease both the long-time Slug addict, as well as first-time listeners.

Atmosphere’s mounting fan base hasn’t changed where their hearts lie. Still the Twin Cities’ own, Atmosphere gives fans of hip-hop⎯and music in general⎯something to buzz about. -Deric Brown

American Analog Set: Set Free

The most apt description of American Analog Set is a buzzing blend of whispers, flirtations, and smirks. Their sound is constant and predictable, filled with snare drum brush strokes and muted, echoing vocals. Their newest release, Set Free, the first since 2003’s Promise of Love, stays true to this formula.

Front-man Andrew Kenny begins Set Free with “Born on the Cusp,” a song whose driving guitar and throbbing pulse lead the listener through the rest of the album. The song “She’s Half” illustrates complex characters in just a few lines (“Her mom’s from Indiana / she married an Asian man / and they brought her from Japan / to be happily suburban.”) and then carries you through the typical, repetitive-yet-lashing American Analog Set chorus.

The two instrumental tracks on the album, “Immaculate Heart II” and “(Theme From) Everything Ends.” are the only downfalls of Set Free. Instead of standing independently, they sound like any other song on the album, sans (and in desperate need of) vocals. This just proves that Kenny’s signature murmurs are the key to any AmAnSet song.

Recorded in living rooms and bedrooms across the country, Set Free took 12 months to complete. This is the album American Analog Set has been waiting to create, and the album fans have been waiting for more than a decade to buy. Kenny says it best on the fourth track, “The boys are in a band together/ the girls all flock and stand together…the cool kids’ll live forever.” That is, if they buy this album.-Emily Garber

Blackalicious: The Craft

Though they haven’t received much airplay or major label support, Blackalicious are one of the paramount acts in hip-hop today. They have bounced around numerous record labels, and have been almost entirely dependent on word-of-mouth advertising. However, their bumpy résumé is hardly indicative of their ability to make music of serious quality. Despite their inability to please record executives, and their failure to fit in between (Lil) Bow-Wow and Chingy on TRL, Blackalicious have fashioned a distinguished catalog of hip-hop. Since Blazing Arrow, fans were left with emcee Gift of Gab’s solo effort, 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up. He stuck to experimental escapades with the pen, the musical influences stayed mainly with jazz and funk, reminiscent of early Outkast, Black Sheep, and ATCQ.

With The Craft, the duo picks up where Gab left off with 14 conventional, but inspired rhythms that set up multifarious rhymes intended to do more than simply make you shake your ass, though they serve that purpose, too. George Clinton blesses the boys with a funked-out stamp of approval in the form of a chorus on “Lotus Flower.” “The Fall and Rise of Elliot Brown” and “Black Diamonds and Pearls” tackle socially-conscious subjects, while avoiding a cynical outlook on the disheartening issues that they adress. Drawbacks include joints such as “Powers” and “Ego-Sonic War Drums”, which are grating to the ears if you’re not in the right mood. In all, Gift of Gab and Chief XL show on The Craft that they take rap seriously.-Deric Brown

Augustana: All the Stars and Boulevards

Augustana’s debut album, All the Stars and Boulevards, is a struggle with identity. The band takes on a new-age British rock band style, much like that of Coldplay. Their influences include a mixture of British and American bands including Travis and Oasis, as well as Counting Crows, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Wilco. While their image and swooning lyrical content resembles that of a typical American emo ensemble, they fit much better into an indie or Brit-rock category.

Lead singer Dan Layus and guitarist Josiah Rosen started the band when they returned to Layus’ hometown of San Diego after dropping out of college in Illinois. Six months later, Jared Palomar became the bassist, and they found drummer Justin South to complete the puzzle. Augustana recorded a few demos and, within months, had showcases in Los Angeles and New York City, and sold out a show at The Independent in San Francisco. They signed with Epic and recorded All the Stars and Boulevards in November and December of 2004.

The CD takes on a theme of searching for a place in the world, a purpose, and an identity. Layus’ vocals are soothing and melodic, harmonizing occasionally with Palomar, with lyrics that exemplify the angst of an emotive soul. The drumming is simple, the guitar and bass subdued, and no synthesizers or special effects are used, leaving room for the piano and vocals to fill out the sound.-Amy Fink