Despite a lengthy gap between the first and second proper studio albums in the Atmosphere catalogue (filled, mind you, with a few EPs and a large cassette mixtape), the gap between God Loves Ugly and it's follow up Seven's Travels was rather short, at around one year. And it's easy to see why. The success of the God Loves Ugly album was unlike anything the duo could have expected - this project was incredibly well received by the entire hip-hop scene, and sold in numbers they wouldn't have dreamed of years before - this thing even entered the Billboard 200 for God's sake. It even had certain major labels asking to sign the duo, including names such as Interscope and Warner Bros that certainly aren't to be sniffed at. And while Atmos decided to stay independent and build their budding Rhymesayers label, it was still imperative to capitalise of off their newfound hype. Enter Seven's Travels.
This next album is even longer than God Loves Ugly, spanning 19 tracks, plus a hidden joint as well. This thing seems pretty goddamn ambitious then, especially with it once again having just the one guest appearance, this time in their label's newest star Brother Ali. Atmosphere were clearly very confident in their abilities - the question is, was this confidence justified? Well, a lot of Atmosphere fans tend to argue that this project is one of the weaker ones released during the group's prime, but then again it does contain arguably their most beloved song ever, "Trying To Find a Balance", a song I'm incredibly excited to check out.
So, will this be a worthy follow up to the brilliant God Loves Ugly, or a bloated mess that doesn't warrant the name Atmosphere on its cover? Let's find out.
Again, all songs are of course produced by Ant.
1. History
A quick little introduction where Slug sings about making history over some pleasant piano and drums, perfectly setting a nice tone for the album. This isn't as impactful as "Onemosphere", but I don't think it was really trying to be - it's merely here to establish a mood, and it does it excellently.
2. Trying To Find a Balance
3. Bird Sings Why the Caged I Know
On this slightly strange one-verse wonder, Slug spends a worrying amount of time fantasising about taking down, torturing and murdering some poor bird that he's seen flying around above him. Huh. Now of course Slug isn't actually some crazed killer of avian life - instead, he hates the bird because it can fly, free of all the troubles that lie in front of Sean down on the ground. Nonetheless, this one is pretty wild, and not for the parties - but that said, it is interesting, and Ant's instrumental helps the medicine go down smoothly. But let's hope Slug can find a slightly lighter place for his words to come from on the next few tracks....
4. Reflections
On this joint, things are indeed in a more lighthearted place, as "Reflections" is a song about meeting a girl on tour who kind of reminds Slug of himself - almost like Eminem's "Remind Me" from Revival, only not horrible in every conceivable way. This track feels like it should have been one of the singles - the hook is catchy, the guitar laced instrumental is pretty funky, and Slug's bars are far more palatable to a wide audience than the song about murdering a bird merely for existing. "Reflections" is a legitimately fun and catchy track, and while that isn't necessarily what one comes to Atmosphere for, it is nice to have in small doses on an album like this. This is a good track.
5. Gotta Lotta Walls
And... we're straight into the deep end again, this time with a song all about Slug's deteriorating mental state. In the chorus here, he refers to himself as a house with lots of walls, AKA someone who it's very difficult to get through to - and most people don't care about most of his issues anyway, only wanting a couple of things out of him. It's a pretty dark concept, and during the verses Slug's lyrics become more and more depressing, as he discusses self harm and isolation - he also shouts out Murs at the start of this one, which is dope. Ant's work behind the boards here is similarly dark, the perfect backdrop to Sluggo's problems - my favourite moment being when the drums switch into something a little faster paced towards the end. This dark shit is somewhat difficult to listen to, but it is intriguing, and feels like a moment where we're starting to really delve into Slug's mind on the record. It's a very powerful moment.
6. The Keys to Life vs. 15 Minutes Of Fame
Wow. This one was unlike anything I've heard from the duo yet! The high energy and jumpiness here completely contrasts the previous track, with this sounding more like something to open a concert with than play whilst alone in your bedroom weeping. This shit was hype! And even then, lyrically it's still very strong, as Slug strings multiple metaphors about his not-quite-yet fame and his negative experiences trying to find success in the rap game. "The line between MC and comedian gets a little thinner, now it's nothing but roughage for lunch and punchlines for dinner". This whole song was 2 and a half minutes of pure energy, and I loved it. One of the best tracks yet.
7. Apple
More of an interlude than anything, Slug takes 2 minutes to sing/rap in a rather gimmicky manner about rival MCs who he believes to be terrible at their art form - the title being in reference to how he'll place an apple on their heads to try to shoot off. It's a pretty funny song overall, but not really an emotional high or anything, so let's quickly move on to the next one - this one is just pure shit talk.
8. Suicidegirls
It's kind of unfortunate that over half of this track is taken up by some angry voicemails from some of Slug's previous lovers, as I would have loved to hear more of Sean over this experimental beat - like with quite a few tracks here this feels like nothing I've heard before from Atmosphere, and it's really awesome. When he does come in it sounds great, despite the mix on his voice being very quiet - "I used to pretend that I gave a fuck / now I do give a fuck, a little too much" is one of my favourite lines. Like the previous song this feels more like an interlude, but I'd put it far ahead of that one. This beat is nice!
9. Jason
Just a skit, although I will say that drum beat in the background was nice. Otherwise, it's merely a prelude for...
10. Cats Van Bags (feat. Brother Ali)
11. Los Angeles
Kind of a random ode to the city of Los Angeles thrown in amongst these much more personal/artist specific tracks, but I still liked this, mostly because of how weird the beat is - it's made up of vocals where someone is doing their best impression of a drowning yet surprisingly melodic animal, simply placed over drums for one of the more standout backdrops of the evening. Lyrically it's a bit off, but overall this was a fun interlude.
12. Lifter Puller
Hey, I recognise that sample! Fans of modern mainstream hip-hop might join me in immediately noting that the sample here was later used (slightly more effectively, please don't shoot me Atmosphere fans) on Tyler, the Creator's song "Sir. Baudelaire", an instrumental actually taken from an earlier Westside Gunn track of which the name escapes me right now. And yes, the beat here isn't quite as strong as that one, but this song is still pretty impactful, if perhaps a little too long for its own good - at 6 minutes, "Lifter Puller" is a bit of a behemoth. Even so, Slug's lyrics about a failing relationship do tend to stick more often than not, and the vocal sample is very haunting and atmospheric (no pun). The storytelling lyrics here are exactly what I wanted to see from this act, and the story in question is told in a very engaging way. This is a good one.
13. Shoes
One interesting thing about this album is how it keeps going back and forth between impactful, full song length cuts, and shorter interlude-type tracks with much less serious subject matter. I can't really think of another album that does it this frequently, but I know I've got one somewhere. Anyway, "Shoes" is the latter, a song where Slug attempts to convince a girl he met to have sex with him whilst he's incredibly drunk - he fails, so props to him for admitting that in a world of incredibly insecure rappers who wouldn't dream of admitting such a thing. Still, this is probably the worst song yet - the instrumental is way too skeletal, the fake drunk voice way too annoying, and the chorus is simply unenjoyable. There are some fun moments on this one, but you wouldn't catch me bumping it. The metaphor here, allegedly about Slug slowly losing his mind whilst drunk, is also not that clever. Sorry.
14. National Disgrace
15. Denvemolorado
Another shorter cut, this one almost entirely sung, which isn't great, although I did really enjoy the beat here. In fact, Slug's singing towards the very end of the song was actually pretty good - it's just a shame he had to initially overdo it in the verse. I certainly wouldn't skip this, but I'd be shocked if anyone named it a standout.
16. Liquor Lyles Cool July
Even if the instrumental here from Ant indicates this track as another more lighthearted moment in the tracklist, the one verse wonder from Slug is actually quite moving. Sluggo tells a detailed experience of sitting at a bar drinking, observing the place, and noticing a woman who he finds particularly attractive waiting there. He wonders in his head what she would think of him, what a relationship would be like - but never goes over, and they both leave having never interacted. The skit at the end places an interesting touch onto the story as well. I feel like this is one shorter song where it could have benefited from some elongation, but as it stands this shit was really well written. It's another highlight for me!
17. Good Times (Sick Pimpin')
One of the more relaxing moments on the record is this late game cut that appears to be one of the more popular on this record, and it makes sense, as this makes for very listenable music, even if it isn't really on the level of "Cats Van Bags" or "Trying To Find a Balance". Man this album has had some high points. The instrumental here is very much based on some airy guitar loops teamed with typical Ant drums, and it's pretty damned pleasant, and Slug's vocals here are strong as well for the most part, even in the more mellow chorus of the track. I won't lie and say this is a standout, but it's a solid effort nonetheless.
18. In My Continental
This track, as you might expect from the title, maintains a similar vibe to the last track - this one is all about Slug's thoughts and hopes that are going through his mind as he drives around in his car "splintered off the mental", which probably shouldn't be condoned. I really liked this one overall - the Slick Rick "Teacher, Teacher" interpolation paves way well for Slug's long and thought provoking verses, which are simultaneously meaningful and catchy, whilst Ant's groovy instrumental keeps your head nodding all the way through. I'd argue that this one might be an even better joint to relax to than the previous song. Awesome stuff.
19. Always Coming Back Home To You
Like with the previous two songs, this closing track also has a relaxing feel, but unlike them, this guitar laced instrumental has something of a creepy vibe to it as well, and it's certainly a beat that stands out within the Atmosphere catalogue. The track consists of one long verse followed by a sung hook to finish, as Slug talks about various different people and scenarios he comes across whilst out on a walk that happen to remind him of his growing up - culminating in him revealing that this song might actually be an analogy for dying... maybe. If so, then his final line of "to find that she wasn't here, I was still all alone" is pretty powerful - this man isn't ready to die yet! This is a very powerful storytelling cut, and it's no wonder that it's one of Atmosphere's bigger tracks - I couldn't think of a better note to end things on.
But wait - after some silence, Atmos have one more song left in store for us. A hidden track, titled...
20. Say Shh
Slug's dedication to Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city that of course Atmosphere comes from - they were probably the first major hip-hop act coming out of there in fact. This track is a little more than a basic "I love my city" song, though - it's got a more significant meaning of taking what you're given and building something out of it. While Slug recognises that this city isn't the best in the world, it has a lot of positives that he sees that clearly outweigh the negatives for him - sure, the city doesn't have great night life and there aren't too many people to connect with, but that means there's places to park, and he can maintain a healthy lifestyle without wanting to go out all the time. The lyrics on this track are some of the most memorable on the whole record, and Ant kills the instrumental. This was a great way to close things out.
In conclusion, I'm incredibly happy with Seven's Travels - in fact, it might be my favourite Atmosphere record yet, which I am aware is kind of a hot take amongst the Atmos community, especially given that Slug himself stated that he found this to be his worst work. For me, I don't really understand why - sure, some of the sequencing here was a little odd, especially when you had three interlude type tracks in a row from songs 7-9, and sure, "Shoes" is a bit of a whack moment that should have been left off. But man, this album is not only incredibly entertaining from front to back, but it also contains quite a few of the best songs the group have ever made. "Trying To Find a Balance" is the perfect opener, as Slug's passionate aggression mixed with Ant's dramatic and absolutely banging instrumental make for a brilliantly intriguing and catchy start to the record - whilst "Cats Van Bags" is a slapper with a sound that I really hope the group attempt more often in the future, as it's absolutely mesmerising. And there's plenty of other great moments here too - Slug's storytelling across the record is highly engaging, with most of the themes across the album still feeling pretty relevant today, meanwhile Ant brings the heat with a very varied but almost perfect across the board set of beats that will have you solemn one second and jumping right out of your seat the next. I really don't understand why so many people consider this one of the worst Atmosphere records! For me, this couldn't have been any better, and it makes me incredibly excited to see what they have in store next with the strangely titled You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having - if there's been one thing wrong with the last two projects it was them both being a little daunting in length; but a 13 track project, released right in their prime? This is gonna be good. And for now, Seven's Travels stands as quite possibly my favourite Atmosphere record - don't let some of the bad press put you off, because this is a masterpiece of storytelling and production. Nice!
Best Track: "Cats Van Bags"
Worst Track: "Shoes"
Read up on my previous Atmosphere reaction/reviews over here!
