Most Popular
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Boys Will Be Wetboys
It was fun while it lasted — but now MTV wants to mainstream Colorado's weirdest skateboarders.
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GB Fish & Chips
If at first you don’t succeed, fry, fry again.
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This Guardian Angel Bleeds Red
Sebastian Metz's heart is in the right place. If only his brain and body could follow.
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Rent-a-Cop
Denver's finest protect and serve, whether they're being paid by the city or the corner bar.
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Westfalen Hof
Good German food? You’re darn Teuton!
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Hideous Houses of Highland (9)
More is not merrier for Highland homeowners who want to stop construction in their neighborhoods.
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Rush to Riot (8)
How seriously should we take Rush Limbaugh's fantasies of a disturbance in Denver?
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Juggalos Band Together at Primos (5)
Meet the Insane fans who united Denver's hatchet-wielding, Faygo-loving family.
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Boys Will Be Wetboys (5)
It was fun while it lasted — but now MTV wants to mainstream Colorado's weirdest skateboarders.
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Grand Lux Cafe (4)
What happened in Vegas should have stayed there.
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Tera Melos
Friday, April 18, Marquis Theater, 1-866-468-7621.
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Subtlety Isn’t a Strength for Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Here’s what happens when you blend the hottest sounds of the past five years into a cheeky, abrasive mix.
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Kingdom of Doom Crumbles
Denver Police bust up a cornerstone of the underground scene.
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The Succulent Sounds of Dark Meat
From Athens, Georgia, comes yet another great new American band.
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Enon Slows Things Down
John Schmersal’s once hyper-prolific songwriting streak made Ryan Adams seem like a slacker.
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Swapping One McPrison for Another
04:24PM 05/15/08 -
Mile High Makeout: Making New Friends
11:42AM 05/15/08 -
Good Taste
10:51AM 05/15/08 -
Look of the Day - American Idol Look-A-Likes
02:58PM 05/14/08 -
Denver Unveils its Free Bike Program for the DNC
02:00PM 05/14/08
What we are writing about
- Barack Obama
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- Colorado Rockies
- David Lane
- Denver Art Museum
- DeVotchKa
- dogs
- Fisher Clark Urban...
- Glenn Morris
- hi-dive
- Hillary Clinton
- Jason Sheehan
- Knocked Up
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- Mark Travis
- My Kid Could Paint That
- Nathan & Stephen
- No Country for Old Men
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- Seth Rogen
- There Will Be Blood
- Various Artists
- Vinyl
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- William Havu Gallery
- Xbox
Recent Articles By Ben Westhoff
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Atmosphere
Slug and Ant transcend boilerplate indie rap on their new album.
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Death Cab for Cutie
Narrow Stairs
Atlantic -
Gnarls Barkley
The Odd Couple
Atlantic -
Bob Mould
District Line
(Anti-) -
Roc-A-Fellas
Are today’s rappers ballin’ as hard as they claim?
National Features
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SF Weekly
Viva Farolito!
Former pros from Latin America help make an "amateur" soccer team unstoppable.
By Lauren Smiley -
Village Voice
The Barely Legal Empire of Tony Alamo
A nutty polygamist pastor rebuilds his church--with help from New Yorkers.
By Maria Luisa Tucker -
Miami New Times
Love is No Contract
A Florida man sues his girlfriend-for dumping him.
By Isaiah Thompson -
Houston Press
The Myth of the Bachelor's Degree
A growing number of educators face a hard truth: not every kid is college material.
By Todd Spivak
Atmosphere
When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
Rhymesayers Entertainment
By Ben Westhoff
Published: May 1, 2008
Subject(s): Atmosphere
The characters given life by Slug on Atmosphere's new album have unenviable situations, but they're not all painting that shit gold (whatever that means). Vagrants, single parents and dope-addled fiends, they all work, fuck and wallow in their misery, giving the emotional indie rapper a chance to traffic in someone else's self-righteousness and self-loathing for a change. That said, the album feels just as personal as Atmosphere's previous works while showcasing a bit of artistic evolution. Producer Ant chops up bass, guitar and synth parts that were recorded under his direction, which results in Gold feeling less like the boilerplate, sample-driven indie-rap albums Atmosphere has threatened to retire on and more like a groundbreaking work. Though pockmarked by cliches and listless tracks like "Guarantees" and "Like the Rest of Us," it nonetheless hints at good things to come for Slug and Ant, provided they continue in this style.
