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When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold - Atmosphere
User Score
8.9 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 42 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42

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  1. FredirkL.
    Jun 20, 2008
    10
    Really great album, Atmosphere's best so far! Love their underground music and this album is even better than the previous ones, such as Seven's Travels. Seriously love this!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. AaronC.
    May 3, 2008
    10
    The Village Voice and PopMatters reviews are two of the least informed and critically coherent reviews I've ever come across. I'd actually give this album more of an 8.5 - The 10 is merely just to counter-balance those two reviewers incompetence. If you're getting PAID to write a review, it is your JOB to read up on what it is you're listening to... otherwise you're just wasting everyone else's time and print space.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. JosephB.
    May 7, 2008
    10
    This won't go down as my favorite Atmosphere album of all-time, but like Aaron C before me, I feel compelled to give this a 10 due to the awful reviews by TVV and PM. I find it pretty hilarious that a website (popmatters) published a review bashing this album while giving Lil Wayne an 8 out of 10 while supporting the notion that he is the greatest rapper alive. And Popmatters, a 7 out of 10 for Curtis? Are you kidding me? But I guess thats what I should expect from a website of that name, pop music is what you want and pop music is what you like.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. InsaneSadcl0wnKr3w
    Jun 16, 2008
    10
    This ia a really good album. Chris Gaerig at Popmatters is not very smart! He said he rhymed baby with baby? Besides reading the lyrics you can just hear that he says lady! I mean this probbly listens to 5ocent or something!!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. ChristopherV.
    Jun 9, 2008
    9
    I don't even like hip hop and I enjoyed this album 100%.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. JohnnyG.
    Apr 30, 2008
    9
    Not God Loves Ugly but who cares? Easily better than most rap out there these days.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. BryanB.
    May 3, 2008
    10
    Not to belittle the last three albums, because they were necessary as predecessors, but this is @'s best album since Lucy Ford.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. MatthewD
    May 9, 2008
    7
    Atomosphere's most cohesive and mainstream album to date. Will be overshadowed by other summer releases such as The Roots, Rising Down.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. DavidS.
    Jun 24, 2008
    9
    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.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. StevenS.
    Jul 1, 2008
    10
    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.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. AndrewC.
    Jul 13, 2008
    10
    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.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  12. AndrewD.
    Apr 28, 2008
    9
    It's an amazing album, proving that Atmosphere is here to stay for a long time and that they will only get better.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. IanM.
    Apr 29, 2008
    9
    Great album and a definite evolution from previous efforts by Atmosphere. Although I love much of the work they have put out, this is definitely their most mature album to date. Ant has abandoned many of the funk samples from previous records and has concentrated on live instruments and low-key beats. Some of the tracks abandon the beats completely in favor of acapella raps over a piano or guitar lick. This is not a party record like 'strictly leakage' and that is reflected in Slug's raps. He focusses less on the women troubles that have dominated previous albums and covers a range of topics including his deceased father (Yesterday), alcoholism (Your Glasshouse) and a concept song in which Slug personifies a cigarette and talks about it as if it is a pimp (The Skinny) (!). All in all, a rewarding album both musically and lyrically.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  14. LCD
    May 1, 2008
    9
    This a really good atmosphere album. I feel bad that it got such a low score. The guy from Pop Matters has a really funny review. He criticizes Slug for rhyming baby with baby, when he's saying lady. The lyrics are in the book that comes with the cd. You'd think a critic might check something like that before publishing an article thats so judgemental. Anyways, don't be discouraged by the low score. If you like Atmosphere, you'll love this album.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  15. JodeG.
    May 15, 2008
    8
    The critics must be smoking crack! The first time I listened to this album I wasn't sure what to think. After the 3rd time I was hooked! This has some classic tracks. I think haters are pissed that Atmosphere is now getting somewhat big and think that they are selling out. People gotta eat!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  16. VladM.
    May 28, 2008
    8
    I think it's a good album...not the best but clearly not the worst.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  17. ffflk.
    May 4, 2008
    10
    Alright, not a 10 but this is above a 9. Critics are afraid to like atmosphere after hating for so long - this is a lot better than everything since Overcast (which I'm too biased to judge properly).
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  18. VincentG.
    Aug 10, 2008
    4
    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.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  19. MinnieA.
    May 27, 2008
    4
    It is impossible to believe that a wannabe Midwest rapper (PopMatter’s Chris Gaerig) could maintain such a shallow understanding of the MN duo and their self-imposed niche in indie hip-hop, so I'll chalk up his few stray attacks to a mild case of envy. Unfortunately, the rest of his critique is spot-on. My theory is that the flat, role-played delivery offered by Slug stems from the difficulty he has trying to convince us that Atmosphere is ‘maturing’, ‘evolving’, or otherwise reinventing itself. Was he channeling Brother Ali on ‘Puppets’? To avoid the chore of reassessing my Atmosphere-fandom, I’m forced to pretend that ‘Guarantees’ and ‘The Skinny’ never happened. Spare me the truisms and synthesizers; at least ‘Me’ and ‘The Waitress’ can be salvaged from this awkward, identity-challenged wreck.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  20. SteveO
    May 31, 2008
    5
    Generally i absolutely hate rap and cannot stand it but hey this stuff actually has a beat to it and some singing thats on key so congrats to atmosphere!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  21. KeithT.
    Jun 22, 2008
    9
    Definitely a must buy for smooth beats and story telling fans.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  22. RaymondB.
    Jun 22, 2008
    10
    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.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 15
  3. Negative: 3 out of 15
  1. Alternative Press
    80
    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]
  2. Spin
    60
    Add some beatboxing courtesy of Tom Waits (!), and you have an occasionally forced, yet boldly magnetic change of pace. [May 2008, p.94]
    Read full review
  3. The New York Times
    80
    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.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »