Atlantis: Hymns for Disco [Import]

k-os | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 16, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Emd Int'l
• ASIN: B000IHYBAU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #240,216 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Electrik Heat - The Seekwill

2. The Rain

3. Fly Paper

4. Equalizer

5. Sunday Morning

6. Mirror in the Sky

7. Born to Run

8. Valhalla

9. Cat Diesel

10. Black Ice (Hymn 4 Disco)

11. AquaCityBoy

12. Highway 7

13. The Ballad of Noah/Chocolate Chewing Gun

Editorial Reviews

From Amazon.ca

Like Lauryn Hill's Miseducation masterpiece and Bob Marley's Uprising, K-Os's Atlantis: Hymns for Disco flows with a constant emphasis on moving forward with positivity and unity, all within an impossibly funky package. The combination of strong melodies and K-Os's verbal dexterity means that Atlantis is filled with a brilliance that rarely lets up. Opening track "Electrik Heat: The Seekwill" sets the tone by mixing rapid-fire lyrics with '80s hip-hop beats and samples, courtesy of world-renowned turntablist Lil Jaz. K-Os’s soul-filled vocals take center stage on "The Rain," with all the smoothness of Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye circa 1966. K-Os could unquestionably release a whole disc of such songs and easily hit world stardom, instead, Atlantis is his vision, and his vision tends towards delivering lyrically insightful, cross-generational hip-hop mixed with reggae and even rock. "Valhalla" is another high point, reminiscent of Bob Dylan's cadence in "Highway 61 Revisited," juxtaposed with a floating chorus courtesy of friend/rocker Sam Roberts. One gets a sense that K-Os and crew have truly brought their top game to this disc, with no words or sounds wasted. --Denise Sheppard

Product Description

It's time to acknowledge a renaissance in music. It all began with the first song he wrote for this new album, the uplifting first single 'Sunday Morning.' which celebrates the 'next day' as a true time of celebration. The rest of the record is equally eclectic and uplifting. Opener 'Electrick Hea T - the seekwill' is old-school hip-hop, incorporating classic James Brown and Jungle Brothers samples with a booming drum line few electronic squiggles; sonically, it's comes off as the return of Public Enemy's old production crew the Bomb Squad. But 'The Rain' takes on an opposite feeling' it's a sample-free slow jam, more akin to a 50s rock ballad that a hip-hop track. Thanks to K-os' diverse musical paletter(and equally talented back-up band), Atlantis ably dips its toes in a number of genres, including jazzy pop (Flypaper'), Hendrix worthy soul/rock (Equalizer'), Police-style reggae ('Mirror in the Sky') and even loud boisterous guitar anthems (Born to Run,' which takes the brashness of New York's rock scene and blows it up. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great music, February 21, 2007

By 

Solty (Louisville, Kentucky United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Atlantis: Hymns for Disco (Audio CD)

This is a great album. I've listened to K-os for a while now and truly think that this is his best effort. A great mixture of rap and singing. He is a guy with many talents. He doesn't just sit back and rap over beats that other people make for him. He writes, raps, sings, produces, plays guitar, harmonica, piano, and keyboard on his songs. Very admirable especially in this day of age where the music industry constantly releases clones. I really hope this album makes it to mainstream ears. People will not be disappointed.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Home Run {5 Stars}, February 20, 2007

By 

Norfeest "Yes Yes Y'all" (Washington DC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Atlantis: Hymns for Disco (Audio CD)

I've already reviewed the import version of this album, but I only gave it a 4.5 rating. After having this for a few months already, and noticing how often I keep reaching for this 6 months after I got it, I felt I had to rework some things. Personally, the new release buzz wears off somewhere around 3 months for me, but I keep coming back to this album and it continues to grow on me. Therefore, I had to revise this review and give it a rating of 5. The following is a revision of my review for the import:

Coming from a purely musical standpoint (instead of a hip hop standpoint), this album is a serious piece of work. k-os seems to grow with every release and the music gets better with every release because of this growth. While it took me a while to get into a lot of songs from Joyful Rebellion, this album grabbed me from day one. Songs like "Born To Run", "Highway 7", "Sunday Morning", "Catdiesel", "Black Ice - Hymn 4 Disco", "Flypaper", "Ballad Of Noah", and the excellent "Electrick Heat-The Seekwill" are instant classics -- and that's over half of the album (8 of 13). The rest of the tracks, while not instant classics, are still excellent selections as well. You'll be happy to know that there are no fillers on this album -- even the bonus track with it's beatboxing is dope.

The only tracks that I would label as skip material are "The Rain" and "Equalizer" (I'm not feeling the Elvis sample here, but the hook/break is dope). I'm not saying that they are bad songs, because they're not, but they don't really grab this particular listener (well, "Equalizer" does, but not until the halfway mark). Those are the only blips I found on my radar. The rest of the album flows smoothly. My last beef is the short running time (13 tracks at just under an hour). It's a minor beef, but k-os is one of the few artists where I actually count the days between releases, I'd love to get a little more. Oh well.

Atlantis: Hymns For Disco is an excellent release from k-os. Regardless of what genre of music you dig the most, he has a little something for everyone and continues to deliver his music in a way that's head and shoulders above the music of his contemporaries. It may not be Joyful Rebellion or Exit, but it's still an excellent release. I recommend making this one, as well as the rest of his catalog, a part of your music library.

Standout Tracks: Ballad Of Noah feat. Buck 65, Flypaper, Highway 7, CatDiesel, Sunday Morning, Born To Run, Electrick Heat - The Seekwill, AquaCity Boy, Mirror In The Sky, Black Ice - Hymn For Disco (My Favorite), and Vallhalla feat. Sam Roberts

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Totally Different Animal {4.5 Stars}, December 13, 2006

By 

Norfeest "Yes Yes Y'all" (Washington DC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Atlantis: Hymns for Disco (Audio CD)

Coming from a purely musical standpoint (instead of a hip hop standpoint), this album is a serious piece of work. If you're expecting the hip hop version of k-os, then proceed with caution. While his past efforts were an equal mix of everything (rock, roots reggae, rap, acoustic, etc...), this album is about the same, but with a lot more rock this time around. Now, I'm not saying that it's a bad thing. I just think the listener should know what he's getting into before he/she runs out to buy what they might think is going to be Joyful Rebellion part two. There are some great songs to be found like "Born To Run", "Highway 7", "Catdiesel", the excellent "Electrick Heat-The Seekwill", and a few others.

There are a few passable tracks here and there. "Flypaper", despite being pretty good, sounds like a rehash of his previous hit, "Crabbuckit." "Born To Run" and "Equalizer" are songs that I tend to skip. Not saying that they are bad, but they don't really grab this particular listener. Those are the only blips I found on my radar. The rest of the album flows smoothly. My last beef is the short running time (13 tracks at just under an hour). It's a minor beef, but k-os is one of the few artists where I actually count the days between releases, I'd appreciate a little more.

Atlantis is definitely one of the few must have 2006 releases, regardless of what genre of music you dig the most. K-Os has a little something for everyone and he continues to deliver his music in a way that's head and shoulders above the music of his contemporaries. I recommend making this one a part of your music library.

Standout Tracks: Highway 7, CatDiesel, Sunday Morning, Electrick Heat - The Seekwill, AquaCity Boy, Mirror In The Sky, Black Ice - Hymn For Disco (My Favorite), and Vallhalla feat. Sam Roberts