Album Review: Tom Morello's "The Atlas Underground"
by Dani Rogue, GGR Music Correspondent
TL;DR: LOVE. Let me tell you why you will too if you give it a real chance.
The thing you need to understand about Tom Morello is that he’s a thinker, an observer. He analyzes things he sees, hears, and plays. If you listen to all of the projects he’s been part of over the years, there’s a clear evolution. He leaves changed, but so do the artists he works with. Even the late great Chris Cornell’s chocolate had a little of Tom’s peanut butter mixed in after Audioslave began.
Before I get too far, this is a list of people who will NOT enjoy this album:
People who are looking for Rage Against the Machine part II (in fact, strict hard rock/metal is in the minority of his catalog).
People who dislike hip-hop, electronic music or 808s.
People who don’t have appreciation for distorted guitar.
People who don’t like political themes or social activism in their music.
Racists, white nationalists, hard core right-wingers. Just being honest.
Still here? Cool. I freaking love this album. It’s hard to follow if you’re looking for direct Tom influence. It’s easier to grasp if you look at it as Tom producing an industry tribute to his own ideals. He clearly listened to a variety of artists and envisioned ways they could collaborate, and then decided to flex his producing muscles. You won’t find a lot of overt ear shredding guitar solos here. In fact, the handful of places the instrument appears in the foreground will pleasantly surprise you. Doesn’t mean it isn’t there; many of the sounds are actually layers of guitar chord fed through filters and studio effects to get sounds which resemble something else entirely.
Not every track has vocals. All of the tracks with vocals have something to say. It’s smart, highbrow commentary but also streetwise clever. There are biblical, historical and current event references and nods to other artists. There are acknowledgements of how society should be vs how it is. There’s been criticism of music “these days” that there aren’t really protest songs. Well, this album corrects that oversight. It’s just in ways no one expected. This is definitely not folk music (sorry, Woody Guthrie), but it holds similar weight.
I can’t remember the last time I really listened to an album the whole way through repeatedly. I’ve gone through this one at least four times in 24 hours without skipping anything. It just flows well, and it’s easy to let it play while you’re working on something else. The lyrics sneak up on you, nearly buried by beats that lift your mood. He’s managed to work with a great stable of artists, teasing the best out of each in ways that still sound like them but sound like him too. Even Marcus Mumford gets the treatment, and it works well. (Full disclosure: I can’t freaking stand Mumford & Sons, but I like this track). I recommend playing it when you have a chance to at high volume uninterrupted. Headphones on the metro, in the car by yourself, that kind of thing. It’s just ... good. You’ll be surprised at how fast the time will fly by while you listen.
If you aren’t an album person, or just can’t get into the overall sound, check out these tracks at minimum (TRUST me):
- Every Step That I Take (feat, Portugal. The man and Whethan)
- Rabbit’s Revenge (feat. Bass nectar, Big Boi, and Killer Mike)
- Find Another Way (feat. Marcus Mumford)
- Lucky One (feat. K.Flay)
- Roadrunner (feat. Leikeli47)
- Lead Poisoning (feat. GZA, RZA, and Herobust)
Disagree? Fine. Let’s talk about it.
Dani Rogue is GGR’s resident music expert.