Minneapolis three-piece rap troupe
Atmosphere -- like their peers
Aesop Rock,
Blackalicious, and others -- have been part of a new era of narrative rap, as they unfold deeply etched stories over beats that are sometimes manic, sometimes mellow, sometimes old-school, sometimes surreally futuristic. Their fifth studio album,
You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having, continues the tradition of complicated yet implicitly familiar parables. The more abstract moments, like "Panic Attack (The P.A.)," are akin to
Grandmaster Flash and
Public Enemy, and have a twisted, somber aura about them.