Review:

on 2007-03-03 dscanland Said:

Awesoem review, sublogic. I've been a fan of K-Os for quite some time but still haven't checked out Atlantis. You've just made me seek it out. Thanks!
Rating: 8/10

Review:

on 2007-03-03 sublogic Said:

“It’s the return. Burn like a supernova.”

As a jump-off track, “The Seekwill” is pretty close to perfect. K-OS announces his arrival for his third album Atlantis, with an out of it’s mind break-beat and a rhyme barrage to match. All the bravado and aggresiveness you can get without using expletives as a crutch. I’m not preachin’ here, I’ve owned some of the most violent and explicit albums to come out. I just think this is an extraordinary considering the times in which we live. A lot of people may be surprised to hear how much had been done by they year 2000 and how mainstream hip-hop has gotten trapped in a cycle, repeating these things over and over again. Pretty much diluting the game.
But I digress. Over his three albums, K-OS has been able to use the foundation that is old-school and mixed it with experimentation that puts him closer to that cross-over point than most underground artists. On the second track he jolted me with a R&B track called “The Rain”. He flips it quite a bit during Atlantis, and this is just the first time. I’m not gonna call this a perfect album, he goes a little far with the production a couple times but I can see where he wants to go. That’s one of the best things about him. He gets better and more focused with each LP.
“Flypaper” has a good reggae vibe and K-OS brings some “One Love”-ish lyrics that try to bring the people together. “The Equalizer”, “Sunday Morning”, and “Born to Run” all try to infuse rock riffs, while not quite hitting. These tracks definitely remind me of Amethyst Rock Star by Saul Williams. Maybe a little too much. Williams’ shoes are still a little big for K-OS but no doubt he’ll get there.
But, the tracks on which he does hit, redeem the shortcomings of the album. “Valhalla”, with fellow Canadians Sam Roberts and Kevin Drew, is yet another standout that does things right. There’s almost tribal vocals in the background and the guitar, drums, and hand claps keep with the tribal/rock sound. “Aquacityboy” combines a grinding guitar loop and rock-shit drums that would make Rick Rubin and Jam Master Jay proud.
Finally, while revisiting Aquarius, I realized I slept on one of the best songs on the album, and also the last.”The Ballad Of Noah”, with the visionary known as Buck 65, is one of those travelling songs you repeat 20 times in your car without knowing it. I’m not sure if it’s a take on Mr. Johnny Cash’s “Ballad of the Ark” but I’m sure he never dropped, “Under the sky, cross the land with a horse. It felt like the sky and the land were divorced.”, like Buck does. I do suggest you buy Atlantis. But give it some time. Although a little jumpy, It’s an album that puts certain pieces of crap to shame and I’m definitely interested in what’s in store for the future.
Make sure you stick around for the bonus track, brilliant!
Rating: 8/10