ae_cover 11.10.indd

A&E
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Section B
Slug Love
BY KERI CARLSON
[email protected]
ATMOSPHERE
TITLE: “You Can’t
Imagine How Much
Fun We’re Having”
LABEL: Rhymesayers
Entertainmentnt
Teens with dyed black hair,
dark eyeliner and spike-studded
belts are not at a My Chemical
Romance show. No, they are
pumping their fists and bobbing
their heads to hip-hop. And not
the Jay-Z, Linkin Park collaboration either. They are at an Atmosphere show.
The local group Atmosphere
went from underground hip-hop
shows at the 7th Street Entry to
playing in front of thousands at
Warped Tour. Along the way, its
fan base went from indie backpackers to emo-punk-lovin’ highschoolers.
With each record, Atmosphere has gained more attention and record sales. The new
album, “You Can’t Imagine How
Much Fun We’re Having,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s independent charts and at No. 66
overall. They’ve sold out three
nights in a row at First Avenue
this week.
But can this really be a sign
that indie hip-hop is breaking
into the mainstream? Or is Atmosphere’s popularity an extension
of emo-punk’s rise with other
Warped Tour bands like Yellow
Card, Thursday and Coheed and
Cambria?
“Four years ago, it was
weird,” front-man Sean Daley,
better known as Slug, said about
being embraced by an audience
outside the hip-hop scene. “But
that (feeling) only lasted six
months.”
Slug said he realized Atmosphere’s image — whether or
not they were staying “real” —
was less important than spreading Atmosphere’s music.
“We all love a clown, but we
don’t want to see you climb up
above the underground,” Slug
raps on the song “Watch Out.”
“Didn’t your punk, your rock,
your hip-hop teach you to try
and get people to see what you
see?” he said. “Quit preaching
to the choir so you can actually
teach new people and share information.”
Slug seems satisfied to be
punk kids’ “doorway drug” to
hip-hop. The question is: Why
Atmosphere? What made the
group’s beats and rhymes attractive to this audience?
Producer Ant’s beats are
hardly hard-core. Ant digs
through musty record bins to revive discarded soul and spreads
his samples over smooth bass
lines and a high snare drum. On
“You Can’t Imagine,” Ant uses
gorgeous gospel tunes as backdrops — a far cry from whiney
screams over loud guitars.
Slug’s
heart-on-his-hoodiesleeve lyrics must be the culprit.
Slug captures the spiral of heartache mixed with happy hour
and homesickness mixed with
restlessness. It is one part clever
rhymes, two parts scribbled diary entry.
The song “Angelface” on the
new record turns Chicago into
a noir film as Slug sits outside a
café in the rain watching an exlover smoke a soggy cigarette.
He rhymes, “Just trying to find
a lost soul to save and I’m a lost
soul trying to find a road that’s
paved.”
Slug (like many emo boys) is
a storm chaser. For him, a sunny
day may be pretty, but he finds
the real beauty in danger and
destruction. Since the 2000 album “Lucy Ford” — an epic surrounding a mysterious femmefetal named Lucy — Slug has
been fascinated by girls willing
to break his heart.
On the song “Bam,” Slug raps,
“Girlfriend I need your help cuz
See SLUG Page 6B
ANNA BERKEN, ILLUSTRATION/LAYOUT AND MIRANDA MOOS, GRAPHICS/LAYOUT
THURSDAY
ALL YOUR ARTS — BRIEFLY
A&E EDITOR
Jenna Ross
(612) 627-4070, ext. 3239
[email protected]
ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR
Erin Adler
(612) 627-4070, ext. 3236
[email protected]
 TODAY
“BRIGHT LIGHTS”;
“DANCE IN THE DARK”
EITHER TAKE “Bright Lights,” which
features choreography by about 30
local performers, or “Dance in the
Dark,” a Fringe show with jazz, hiphop and social dance. Ah, what the
hell, just go to both. There’s even a
dance party afterward.
 7:30 (“Lights”) and 9 p.m.
(“Dance ”) today through Sunday
 Southern Theater, 1420
Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis
 $16 for one, $25 for both shows
 (612) 340-1725
 FRIDAY
UNIVERSITY TANGO
EVER DREAMED of dancing the
passionate, lustful tango? Well, the
University’s Argentine Tango Club
offers lessons for beginning and
advanced dancers and even offers a
couple hours of practice time after
the lessons. It’s a good plan for a
date, unless you’d rather sit at home
and watch another Friday night rerun
of “ESPN Classics.”
 7 p.m. for beginners, 8 p.m. for
advanced, 8 to 10 p.m. open space
 209 Akerman Hall, East Bank
 $5 students, free for U-Tango
members; [email protected]
 WEEKEND
“THE ISLAND”
GO SEE Ewan McGregor and Scarlett
Johansson in “The Island” as they try
to uncover the mystery behind the
horrific rumors of human cloning. If it
sucks, don’t worry — it’s free.
 7 p.m. Thursday, 7 and 10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday
 Coffman Union Theater
 Free
 RADIO K
TOP-SEVEN PLAYLIST
1. LADYTRON “Destroy Everything
You Touch”
2. BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
“7/4 (Shorelines)”
3. METRIC
“Monster Hospital”
4. DANGER DOOM
“Space Ho’s (feat. Space Ghost)”
5. BROADCAST
“Black Cat”
6. CONSTANTINES
“Hotline Operator”
7. ADULT.
“Gimmie Trouble”
CORRECTIONS:
[email protected]
2301 University Ave. S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55414
INDEX
CLASSIFIEDS ...............
CROSSWORD ...............
NETWORK ....................
DR. DATE .....................
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