Most Popular
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Dallas Has a Real-Life Dr. Gregory House in Dr. Richard Buch
Some call Dr. Buch a troubled genius. His ex-patients and hospital bosses call him trouble.
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Is the 'Woman Caught in Adultery' Really Part of Scripture?
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Dave Campo Is Back Where His Pro Career Started
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Haggling Over Who Collects Late Child Support Payments Could Leave Some Kids Without
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Demanding Answers as the Dallas Convention Center Hotel Moves Forward
As Mayor Tom Leppert pushes for a convention center hotel, critics demand more details and less tax money. At least, those who haven't been silenced do.
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Family Court Judge Sheds Light on Unfair Child Support Practices in Texas (45)
Judge David Hanschen lets men challenge whether the kids they support are theirs. And the Texas Attorney General's Office is pissed.
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Battle Against Teaching Evolution in Texas Begins (37)
Should creationism win out, textbooks throughout the country–not just Texas–will challenge the theory of evolution in science curricula
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Dallas Has a Real-Life Dr. Gregory House in Dr. Richard Buch (14)
Some call Dr. Buch a troubled genius. His ex-patients and hospital bosses call him trouble.
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Demanding Answers as the Dallas Convention Center Hotel Moves Forward (12)
As Mayor Tom Leppert pushes for a convention center hotel, critics demand more details and less tax money. At least, those who haven't been silenced do.
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DART Needs to Build a Subway Downtown (11)
If DART backtracks on its subway promise, downtown traffic will be even more congested
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Who Rocks More: Bon Jovi or Daughtry?
Bon Jovi is definitely the winner on sex appeal, but who has more street cred?
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Getting to Know Edgefest Bands Via Haikus
Poetry about the acts on Edgefest 17's bill? It's music to our ears.
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Reliving Last Weekend's Local Music Explosion
Between Good Records' birthday celebration and the Mokah Music showcase we were a little overwhelmed—but in a good way.
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Denton Music Deserves Our Attention
We're ready to prove our appreciation of Denton.
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The Best Albums of 2008, So Far...
Just over three months into 2008 and we're already fussing over which albums will make our year-end best-of lists
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Soon, Everyone in the Country Will Know the Ballad of Becky Miller
04:10PM 05/07/08 -
AA Flight 48, From DFW to Paris, Sounds Like One Hell of a Trip
03:40PM 05/07/08 -
Turns Out The May 21 Show Is The Police's Last Gig In Dallas. Ever.
05:10PM 05/07/08 -
Bonus MP3: Mom -- "Skipping Stones"
04:43PM 05/07/08 -
A Move Tom Hicks Can Be Proud Of? Believe It
04:00PM 05/07/08 -
Guy Who Started FireAvery.com Now Twiddling Thumbs
11:30AM 05/07/08
What we are writing about
- Austin
- Avi Adelman
- Barack Obama
- baseball
- boxing
- cheap lunch
- Craig Watkins
- creationism
- Dallas Cowboys
- Dallas Mavericks
- Daniel Day-Lewis
- DART
- Deep Ellum
- DVD releases
- evolution
- Guitar Hero
- illegal immigrants
- Jason Kidd
- Little Mexico
- Lynn Flint Shaw
- Mexicans
- Nintendo Wii
- Oak Cliff
- Playstation 3
- Rufus Shaw
- sex advice
- tacos
- Texas Rangers
- There Will Be Blood
- Tony Romo
Recent Articles By Ben Westhoff
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Gnarls Barkley
The Odd Couple (Atlantic)
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While Trent Reznor Broods, Saul Williams Celebrates Their Music Download Experiment
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Why?
Alopecia (Anticon)
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The N-Word Still Alive and Well in Hip-Hop
Eight month after the hip-hop community gave the word a funeral, it hasn't died
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Rapper's Caviar Dreams
Are the latest boastful rappers billionaires or boobs?
National Features
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Broward-Palm Beach New Times
Last Step to Redemption
Drug counselor Richard Entrekin swam a little too easily in a sea of sharks.
By Amy Guthrie -
Village Voice
The Cro-Mag Diaries
Remembering the brutal life and times of John "Bloodclot" Joseph, New York hardcore icon.
By Rob Harvilla -
Seattle Weekly
Being Gary Busey
Everybody thinks Jeff Swanson is somebody famous. And he does nothing to dissuade them of the notion.
By Aimee Curl -
SF Weekly
Party Crashers
If you think Ralph Nader won't screw the Democrats again, you're not paying attention.
By John Geluardi
Atmosphere
When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
By Ben Westhoff
Published: May 8, 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 rap act 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 clichés 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.
