You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having [Enhanced] [Explicit Lyrics]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Atmosphere's fifth album (not including rapper Slug's numerous side projects) isn't quite as consistent as previous CDs like 2003's Seven's Travels or Lucy Ford, but it's hardly lagging far behind. For all the attention Slug gets as a rapper--deservedly so, given that he, along with Aesop Rock, is a smarter, less pissy Eminem--producer ANT is as vital to this pairing as anyone, lacing the album with everything from the hard knock beats of "The Arrival" to the gospel-influenced charm of "Get Fly," to the old-school drum assault on "Bam." Slug covers ground that he's already been renowned for, a balance of in-your-face braggadocio ("Watch Out"), tunneling introspection ("Little Man"), and a typically reliable ditty about his female problems ("Pour Me Another"). The only real fault is that the album doesn't quite seem to be as adventurous as it could be, but even in playing it (relatively) safer, this is still easily one of the top 10 rap albums of 2005. --Oliver Wang

You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having ,Atmosphere,Rhymesayers,Alternative Rap,Pop,Rap,Rap & Hip-Hop,Underground Rap,United States of America

You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having [Enhanced] [Explicit Lyrics]

You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having [Enhanced] [Explicit Lyrics]

Average customer rating:

Their best so far

i love you atmosphere

An intresting but effective change

from out of nowhere...

Don't listen to those negative reviews.

You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having
Atmosphere
Manufacturer: Rhymesayers
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Experimental Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

A Tribute to Lisa Bonet

Seven's Travels

Lucy Ford

God Loves Ugly

Headshots: Se7en

ASIN: B000AMU0UI
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Tracks:

The Arrival
Panic Attack
Watch Out
Musical Chairs
Say Hay There
Hockey Hair
Bam
Pour Me Another
Smart Went Crazy
Angelface
That Night
Get Fly
Little Man

Product Description

1. The Arrival
2. Panic Attack
3. Watch Out
4. Musical Chairs
5. Say Hey There
6. Hockey Hair
7. Bam
8. Pour Me Another
9. Smart Went Crazy
10. Angelface
11. That Night
12. Get Fly
13. Little Man

Format: CD

Amazon.com

Atmosphere's fifth album (not including rapper Slug's numerous side projects) isn't quite as consistent as previous CDs like 2003's Seven's Travels or Lucy Ford, but it's hardly lagging far behind. For all the attention Slug gets as a rapper--deservedly so, given that he, along with Aesop Rock, is a smarter, less pissy Eminem--producer ANT is as vital to this pairing as anyone, lacing the album with everything from the hard knock beats of "The Arrival" to the gospel-influenced charm of "Get Fly," to the old-school drum assault on "Bam." Slug covers ground that he's already been renowned for, a balance of in-your-face braggadocio ("Watch Out"), tunneling introspection ("Little Man"), and a typically reliable ditty about his female problems ("Pour Me Another"). The only real fault is that the album doesn't quite seem to be as adventurous as it could be, but even in playing it (relatively) safer, this is still easily one of the top 10 rap albums of 2005. --Oliver Wang

Customer Reviews:

Their best so far.......2006-08-27

I'm so glad I "discovered" Atmosphere. They're a unique group and lyrically I think they are one of the best. Slug's lyrics betray a weary soul that is constantly at war with his demons, and finds comfort in bars (Pour Me Another) or the escapism of travel (Say Hey There). Rich with metaphors, his lyrics, which are complemented by some great production courtesy of Ant, are more literary than your average rapper. Atmosphere pleases on many levels. The combination of great beats, wicked flow, and lyrics that move you is pretty rare. Buy this album. It's their best so far.

i love you atmosphere.......2006-08-10

this cd was ok. seeing as it has only 13 songs out the the usual no less than 15 by atmosphere it was ok. the songs i didnt like, i didnt like. the songs i did like, i loved. when i put it in my stereo, i start off with #5 say hey there. which is there first single and has a video to it. i love how they add a background singer, or a sample for another song in their songs. then i go on to hockey hair. i love that song, it has no hook tho. no problem for me. near the end slug says "what the blood clot? jump shot, fade away. watch these white kids eat it up like it was mayonnaise."

thats 5 and 6. i go on to number 8 which is pour me another. could possibly be another "im trying to get over you lucy song." go to number 9 which is smart went crazy. my favorite song on the cd. slug goes on to say "smart went nuts and rode a unicorn through the storm." then after the hook at the start of the second verse he says "smart went crazy, kiss miss daisy, love you when everday was christmas baby. maybe we should take it back to the way we were still on some what have you done for me lately?!" love that song!

then number 10. my 2nd favorite song titled angelface. "and she loved me more than i could imagine so i waited til she slept and i stepped in the traffic." then goes on to say "angels exist, i've even seen some sleep." i dont listen to 11 because its sort of too sad for me. slug is discussing an incident that happened in a town. sometimes i listen to 12. which is get fly. but i end my enjoyment by listening to number 13. titled little man. which is a father, son, father song.

tho i listen to about 6 or 7 songs out of 13. i love the songs that i do listen to. buy this cd. cigarettes are sort of messing up slug's voice unless it's just maturing but ant's beats are still beautiful. this cd shouldnt disappoint you completely, but you will like most of the cd if not all.

:)

An intresting but effective change.......2006-08-09

Slug and Ant have outdone themselves in this amazing effort. It seems the duo have taken a step away from the overall message of their previous albums. The lyrics have started to evolve from the emo-like lyrics that their previous albums exlemplified. This isn't a god thing or bad thing. I believe that it was an expirement to see how their fans would react. They still had some of their old formula during this album which is actually a good thing because without it the duo probably would have lost some of loyal fan base that they had aquired during the 9 year run that Slug and Ant have taken.

As for the album itself, I found this to be one of my favorites because of the intresting step Atmosphere took. There was the heavy beat of "The Arrival" and the anthem like "Watch Out". But ths album also had some of the flair of their previous albums such as the sorrow in "Pour me Another" and the lyrical mastery in "Little man" Because of these incredible tracks I give this record five stars.

The future of Atmosphere is still up in the air. I'm not sure whether the duo will take another step forward and become more of a mainstream group or remain loyal to the fan base that have listened to their tracks since the late 90's. Listening to the last track, "Little Man", really makes one think
"You're raps are exhausted, stop it, everyone knows that you've lost it."
If this is indeed Slug telling himself that he's lost it the I don't think that we will see another Atmosphere record. Though this could just be a line that makes listeners think. But my theory is that Slug and Ant will revert back to the lyrics and beats that have taken them this far.

from out of nowhere..........2006-05-30

The last track on this album is the tripartite "Little Man", in which Slug addresses the first verse to his son, the second verse to his father, and the last verse to himself. Acknowledging genealogical traits consistent among the three generations, Slug places himself at the center of the three generations in a way that suggests that the father and the son are variations of himself. Thus the piece has a sense of folding in on itself in the last verse when Slug addresses himself, and this abstract idea is reflected by the physical image of the overly self-conscious rapper curled up on an anonymous hotel bed: "rolled up like a naked fetus / come and save him, Jesus / place him back in time before the Reaganomics and Adidas". It's a masterfuly constructed piece, and though the lyrics are more blunt and conversational than philisophical, the abstact nature of the song is captured by the pentatonic, Eastern-influenced music that forms the backdrop for Slug's rhymes and gives the entire piece a quasi-mystical feel.

Nowhere else can you hear hip-hop like this. So it's ironic that, in the last verse of "Little Man", Slug sings this line to himself: "Your raps are exhausted / Stop it / Everybody knows that you've lost it". In fact, nothing could be further from the truth; with the release of this album, Atmosphere has taken their game to a whole new level.

Atmosphere showed early promise on the geeky, lo-fi "Overcast!" (circa 2001), and seemed to peak on 2002's "Lucy Ford" release. Their third CD, "God Loves Ugly", managed to be both completely introspective and almost entirely uninspired, and the follow-up CD, 2004's "Seven's Travels", was a hit-or-miss affair with a handful of memorable tracks and a truckload of filler. By 2005, the only Atmosphere CD I was listening to was "Lucy Ford", and time had tarnished most of the rhymes on that album; with the exception of "They're All Gonna Laugh @ You", the tracks on "Lucy Ford" sound somewhat juvenile today, as charming as they still are.

So I kept walking the first time I spotted this CD in the record store, figuring that Atmosphere was long past whatever brief prime they might have enjoyed a few years back. But when I sampled some of this CD on Amazon, I realized that these guys have pulled off a major comeback from out of nowhere.

The most immediately arresting feature of this CD is the production; Ant has dug deep and come up with a mind-boggling array of samples that gives this record a character unlike any other Atmosphere CD, or any other hip-hop release in recent memory. The album is permeated with a gritty, old-school flavor that relies heavily on fuzzy, distorted beats, gospel riffs, turntable scratching and sampled voice-overs that bring to mind Public Enemy's "Fear of a Black Planet". There are fantastically intricate layers of sound at work here, but never so much that the beats detract from the rhymes. On the contrary, the choice of beats and samples seems more directly related to the rhymes than on previous releases (see the discussion of "Little Man" above) in a way that gives this record a rare degree of integrity. The one notable exception is "That Night", which purposefully stands apart from all the other songs on the album and thus has a sound all its own.

Ant's complex and edgy production seems to be spurring Slug on; his delivery is far more sure here than on any other Atmosphere CD. His rhymes were always intellegent, but there's a more confident flow at work here, and even his voice seems to have more character.

Like all great pop music, this album succeeds on several levels. It has a consistency of character, but enough variety from track to track to keep the listener from getting bored. On some of the songs, distortion or other effects are applied to Slug's voice; on "That Night" he delivers the lyrics in a hushed, intimate tone. As background music, most of the songs on the album provide plenty of bump; on the other hand, discerning listeners will find that the lyrics almost never disappoint, and there's always plenty to come back for.

Don't listen to those negative reviews........2006-05-15

I admit, I'm guilty of having slept on Atmosphere too long. I heard snatches of his stuff and wasn't impressed, I'd never gotten a good listen to him and I'd never seen him as a guest appearance on any of my favorite rappers materials - so - this is me apologizing to Atmosphere, because I can honestly say that this album is one of the most emotional and impressive releases I've heard in a long while. I give a variety of hip hop styles five stars, it's true. I've heard people ask me why I gave Jean Grae's freshman release a 5 star rating - because it brings that absolutely raw (if unpolished) emotion of a younger, budding emcee to the table. Similarly, an album like Immortal Technique or Murs earns high stars from me because of their crusading messages and clever lyrics - sometimes at the cost of an easy flow or headnodding beat. Little Brother (who I think most everyone can agree is worth the credit,) is a much more light-hearted trio than most the rap music I enjoy. Atmosphere, however, combines a little bit of each three elements.

After hearing this CD, I thought I should go out and buy his older records before reviewing this. I bought "Seven's Travels" a while ago and gave "Lucy Ford" a fair listen. I loved both albums, honestly, loved them. But I feel as thought "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having" is better in every margin. First of all, I've heard people say Atmosphere's flow is relentless and boring - not true. To me, his flow on this album is much more refined and matured than on previous ventures. The sheer rhythm of his lyrics is perfect, on point every time. It's a constant head-nodder without a break or pause where it isn't needed, which is what makes the listen-ability of this album so entirely addictive. His lyrics this time around are more cohesive - not to say his lyrics have been less put together in the past. It's just that when you listen to the songs here, and compare them to the ones on say "Seven's Travels," they make more sense. Each line leads to another, no awkward wording or phrasing, each line has a point to make, and the rhyme-scheme is flawless.

Last but not least - Ant. I cannot STRESS ENOUGH how much better the production on this album is compared to Atmosphere's previous albums. Don't get me wrong, I've been consistently impressed with Ant's production, on every single Atmosphere release. "Always Coming Back Home To You," "Trying To Find A Balance," "If I Was Santa Clause" - all great production. But the sound here is so much move lively, memorable, even emotional. The melodies and beats compliment Atmosphere's voice and flow to a T. Each track brings with it a musically molded mood that feels built especially for Slug's lyrics. Most noticeably though, the mood isn't as laid back as before. The problem I've had with other Atmosphere releases is the sheer slowness, repetitiveness, or sleepiness of the production. Not always - but often. Here, every song, whether slow-paced or kicked into high gear feels like they have more spirit, and noticeably more melody. Tracks like "Little Man," "Angel Face," and "Get Fly" are jampacked with great beats, solid samples, and beautiful, head-nodding melodies.

The emotional value of this album is amazing. Slug's lyrics are penetrating and heart-felt, and while some people say that "He doesn't sound as if he's having as much fun," I say that it sounds like he's being more genuine. "Little Man" is unquestionably my favorite track on the CD, and is probably one of my all time favorite hip hop songs ever recorded. It's beautiful, haunting, head-nodding, and sincere. "Angelface" is addictive if only for the production, while on the flipside, songs like "That Night" rely only on a solid drum beat and short, melodic chorus to showcase the personal emotions of Slug's lyrics. "The Arrival" is a fast-paced, energetic opener to the CD, but is slightly deceptive as to what you're going to get. Songs like "Say Hey There," "Smart Went Crazy," and "Pour Me Another" are all much more impressive songs on every level. Regardless of what pre-concieved notions you have about Atmosphere, be they good or bad, buy this album. You won't regert it.

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