k-os' Atlantis exudes confidence
k-os- Atlantis: Hymns for Disco
I'm still surprised when I'm talking to someone from outside Canada, and they have no idea who k-os is.
The Toronto hip-hop artist broke into the mainstream (well, the Canadian mainstream at least) in 2004 with the masterful Joyful Rebellion. It was positively bursting with creative energy, and is probably the freshest release to drop in the hip-hop world since 1998's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
In the intervening couple years, k-os has been spending a lot of time with fellow Toronto group Broken Social Scene, contributing his voice to “Windsurfing Nation” on their self-titled album. This influence is readily apparent on his new CD, Atlantis: Hymns for Disco. The drums have the same power and driving rhythms of the BSS hits “Cause=Time” and “7/4 (Shoreline)”, so much that I'd be surprised if it wasn't BSS drummer Justin Peroff manning the skins.
The album's not annoyingly derivative, though; if anything, it's proof that the Toronto scene is evolving a distinct sound. Throughout the album, k-os namechecks fellow Toronto-based artists Feist, Metric's Emily Haines, and Death From Above 1979. BSS's Kevin Drew and Montreal's Sam Roberts even show up to lend guest vocals to the rollicking “Valhalla”.
”I'm not one to repeat myself/ but if it ain't broken, don't fix it” croons k-os on the album's spiritual flagship, “Flypaper”. He does himself a disservice with that one; is that a screwdrivered guitar I hear in the background?! This album is far from a rehash of Joyful Rebellion's “Crabbuckit”, even though k-os has shifted his focus to rhythmically driving songs in that vein.
K-os's rapping and singing are both vastly improved; there's a sense of confidence that permeates the entire album, and if you thought he sounded confident before, you need to hear Atlantis. The instrumentation is much more complicated and inventive, without taking anything away from k-os's melodic flow, and complementing it perfectly.
The single “Sunday Morning” is currently getting major airplay, and if it grabs you, you should definitely check out this album — that track is a mere preview.
Questions? Suggestions? E-mail me at shotsinthedark@gmail.com.
I'm still surprised when I'm talking to someone from outside Canada, and they have no idea who k-os is.
The Toronto hip-hop artist broke into the mainstream (well, the Canadian mainstream at least) in 2004 with the masterful Joyful Rebellion. It was positively bursting with creative energy, and is probably the freshest release to drop in the hip-hop world since 1998's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
In the intervening couple years, k-os has been spending a lot of time with fellow Toronto group Broken Social Scene, contributing his voice to “Windsurfing Nation” on their self-titled album. This influence is readily apparent on his new CD, Atlantis: Hymns for Disco. The drums have the same power and driving rhythms of the BSS hits “Cause=Time” and “7/4 (Shoreline)”, so much that I'd be surprised if it wasn't BSS drummer Justin Peroff manning the skins.
The album's not annoyingly derivative, though; if anything, it's proof that the Toronto scene is evolving a distinct sound. Throughout the album, k-os namechecks fellow Toronto-based artists Feist, Metric's Emily Haines, and Death From Above 1979. BSS's Kevin Drew and Montreal's Sam Roberts even show up to lend guest vocals to the rollicking “Valhalla”.
”I'm not one to repeat myself/ but if it ain't broken, don't fix it” croons k-os on the album's spiritual flagship, “Flypaper”. He does himself a disservice with that one; is that a screwdrivered guitar I hear in the background?! This album is far from a rehash of Joyful Rebellion's “Crabbuckit”, even though k-os has shifted his focus to rhythmically driving songs in that vein.
K-os's rapping and singing are both vastly improved; there's a sense of confidence that permeates the entire album, and if you thought he sounded confident before, you need to hear Atlantis. The instrumentation is much more complicated and inventive, without taking anything away from k-os's melodic flow, and complementing it perfectly.
The single “Sunday Morning” is currently getting major airplay, and if it grabs you, you should definitely check out this album — that track is a mere preview.
Questions? Suggestions? E-mail me at shotsinthedark@gmail.com.
