Hard-luck characters populate Atmosphere tunes
"It's obvious that he's lost in his regrets. You can smell it on his breath." Atmosphere frontman Slug rhymes over tendrils of slide guitar that smolder and then quickly dissipate like a campfire's smoky exhale.
Slug's telling the story of an alcoholic who can't seem to out run his past -- its stamina being much greater than his -- but, in a way, he could be speaking about himself as well.
Longing and remorse, anger and contrition long have supplied the dark hues that this Midwestern MC paints his blue-collar vistas with, as his tales are filled with more hard-luck characters than the entire Tom Waits canon.
How fitting is it, then, that Waits guests on Atmosphere's latest disc, the by turns downcast and hopeful "When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That S!@# Gold."
Full of live instrumentation, it's Atmosphere's most varied disc, an album where Slug's outlook softens just a bit, and the sonic landscape reflects as much, with a slightly brighter sound than on past efforts.
As the years have passed, Atmosphere has been heralded as a pioneer of "emo rap" a dubious term largely attributed to Slug's skin color: hip-hop long has been confessional and open-hearted, just because a white dude follows suit doesn't mean it's some kind of dicey subset of punk rock.
And so it's best to forget about such limiting designations when it comes to this bunch -- they certainly have.
See Atmosphere at 6 p.m. today at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Tickets are $27; call 632-7600.
As pious Christian punks, MXPX was one of the first bands to introduce Jesus to the Warped Tour close to a decade ago.
When Blink-182 was singing about boobies and diarrhea, MXPX was carving a niche for themselves as one of pop punk's most earnest bands, with winsome hooks, doe-eyed vocals and the brisk pacing of a track meet.
So many of their peers associate punk rock with impudence, but these guys long have been the opposite, as sincere as so many of their counterparts are snide.
The band's profile has dipped a tad in recent years, but having returned to their first label (Tooth and Nail) and original producer (Aaron Sprinkle) for their latest disc, the reinvigorated "Secret Weapon," MXPX has dropped an album that packs all the firepower its title suggests.
See MXPX at 6 p.m. Saturday at Jillian's, 450 Fremont St. Tickets are $18; call 759-0450.
Their latest album is called "Anthems of the Damned," even though the dudes in Filter recently escaped damnation themselves.
Back after a six year hiatus, these mechanically inclined hard rockers have steadily toned down the industrial tinges that first brought them widespread success on their 1995 debut, "Short Bus," in favor of a more polished, radio-friendly though no less visceral charge.
Filter's newest album, and fourth overall, is their most socially aware, a direct, pointed commentary on the Iraq war and conflict in general that resonates like the gunfire it condemns.
See Filter at 10 p.m. Wednesday at Wasted Space at the Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Road. Call 693-4040.
Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.