Most Popular
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Is the 'Woman Caught in Adultery' Really Part of Scripture?
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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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With the Addition of Pacman Jones, Valley Ranch Has Become a Halfway House
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The Great Trinity Forest Ain't So Great
Well, not yet anyway.
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Dallas' The Bridge Homeless Center's Progressive Approach May Actually Make a Difference
With a no-hassles approach to panhandlers, Dallas' new shelter hopes to kill homelessness with kindness
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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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Family Court Judge Sheds Light on Unfair Child Support Practices in Texas (46)
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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Dallas Has a Real-Life Dr. Gregory House in Dr. Richard Buch (15)
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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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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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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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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Quick's Big Thing Awards Show Wasn't Very Big
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Van Halen
Thursday, April 24, at American Airlines Center
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What's Up With All Those White People Asking Stupid Questions?
03:27PM 05/12/08 -
What Ross Perot's Thousand-Dollar Investment Has Yielded
02:43PM 05/12/08 -
Bits: PlayRadioPlay!, Black Tie Dynasty, Faux Fox
02:24AM 05/13/08 -
Bonus MP3s: RTB2's "The Spilling Blood Child" and Whiskey Folk Ramblers' "Moanin' Rag"
05:30PM 05/12/08 -
Is Roy Williams Suddenly One Biscuit Away From Being A Liability?
04:15PM 05/12/08 -
Sunday School ”“ Handing Out Grades To Our Weekend Wrap-Up Shows
02:00PM 05/12/08
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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The Pitch
We (Heart) Matt
The Shawnee Mission East class of '08 loves its gay homecoming king.
By Jen Chen -
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 -
Cleveland Scene
The Artful Dodger
Women loved Zachary Coleman. And he loved their money.
By Lisa Rab
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.
