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100

Delusions of Adequacy

This is a matured and musical hip-hop duo and whether it is the fine contributions by Tom Waits and Tunde Adebimpe on separate songs, Ant’s soulful and majestic music, or Slug’s illustrious and poignant story-telling; it’s all superb.

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RapReviews.com

Even though some might miss Slug's angst-ridden diatribes (Lucy Ford is nowhere to be found on this album), he manages to toe the line between rapper and griot better than he ever has before on this new effort.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Musically, Lemons is lusher and more ruminative than the harder-hitting Imagine, with producer Ant calling on Atmosphere's live backing band--plus guests, including Tom Waits (beatboxing!) and TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe--to flesh out the sound, enhancing his already-organic approach.

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MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)

Nevertheless, the lost lives and loves he sketches are so painfully familiar they feel like truth. And Ant's homey beats enhance the illusion.

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Alternative Press

The cumulative effect is a widescreen collection that seems destined to win a broader audience for the duo without sacrificing the intimate I-feel-you-fucked-up-life atmosphere of their best work. [May 2008, p.144]

The New York Times

The words are upfront, with a naturalistic delivery that sometimes recalls Kanye West. These are storytelling songs, not club tracks, moving at midtempos and often easing back toward ballads.

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Urb

Being a gluttonous hard-ass has been a tough requirement to scratch from the 10 rap commandments, but a growing trend in transparent MCs finds Atmosphere atop the pedestal of its post-Prozac and Adderalled audience. Maybe good dads just make the world better, one damn fine album at a time.

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Paste Magazine

For the first time, the duo forgoes Ant's sampled beats in favor of live instrumentals to back Slug's rhymes, which results in a sound that's far more textured and intricate than their previous five efforts.

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Pitchfork

More energy and less uniformly drab scenery might have kept these well-intentioned stories from blurring into each other.

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Drowned In Sound

Atmosphere play an autobiographical angle affectingly well. It’s an approach that’ll lead some to conclude When Life… is a little on the dull side, but with six albums under their belt seems the duo’s formula is not about to let them down just yet.

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Spin

Add some beatboxing courtesy of Tom Waits (!), and you have an occasionally forced, yet boldly magnetic change of pace. [May 2008, p.94]

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Dusted Magazine

When Life… is not all bad, however. It is merely middling.

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Village Voice

The piano twinkle and mere droplet of a beat on 'Like the Rest of Us' sounds like Slug doing Regina Spektor; the coos and plucks of 'Me' are Yael Naïm; the barista-strum acoustic rap of 'Guarantees' aims for Elliott Smith and ends up with Uncle Kracker; the skipping hand-clap gospel of 'Puppets' is pure Moby Playtime; and, for some reason, 'Dreamer' sounds like Michael McDonald--funkless, martial, stiff, and innocuous, perfect for an upwardly mobile 21-45 demo that seeks neither boom nor bap with their soy latte.

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PopMatters

When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold is almost entirely forgettable.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

We’re given a de trop of horrid synthesizers, only to be outdone by worse choruses and banal refrains.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.8 (out of 10) based on 37 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Vincent G. gave it a4:
Should've been called, "When Life Gives You Lemons, So Does Atmosphere". This album is weak from front to back, and, when put alongside anything released by the group within the last year, falls flat on its face. It's not that it's too mainstream, or that it gained exposure through MTV; rather, it's that the album is boring. The lyrics are dull, the production is weak, the songs are cookie-cutter, and, overall, lack what I love & look to Atmosphere for. Hopefully they'll put some actual effort into the next album, and leave Nate Collis & the rest of the band for the live sets.

Andrew C. gave it a10:
A change of pace that yields an album for a more mellow listening mood, When Life... is a real piece of work. Whether it is the new Atmosphere or just the current version, the verse is legit and the music wraps it all up in a smooth bundle.

David S. gave it a9:
If this cd doesnt go at least gold they should paint that shit gold anyway cuz its good.

Steven S. gave it a10:
This album is like weed for your ears, it feels sooooooooo good. Atmosphere is one of the premiere rap groups/duos in the game today, and this album just solidifies that fact.

David S. gave it a9:
This album moved me. It's very mature and deep, very touching. I havn't enjoyed an album as much as this in a long time.

Raymond B. gave it a10:
I'm impressed with this new album, while not exactly upbeat, it still has a lot of groove in the rhythm and sweetness in the melodies. Slug's lyrics are as always unique to his style, and fresh and insightful. I feel that this album seems to show a matured style of music that can permeate a much larger demographic than the cookie cutter club rap will ever.

Keith T. gave it a9:
Definitely a must buy for smooth beats and story telling fans.

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When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold

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