Heaven only knows what was on Kheaven Brereton's mind when he embarked on his latest venture. Canadian vocalist/emcee/producer of K-OS's third release, Atlantis: Hymns for Disco, is an ambitious array of samples, weaved together with drum machine beats and riddled with spiritual guidance. K-OS (an acronym for knowledge of self) has struggled hard to escape the narrow limits of an industry obsessed with classification. His latest effort is indeed another testament to sundry influences, ranging from rock to soul, jazz to dub, with hints of gospel and yes, even disco; he enlists the help of rappers Buck 65 and Kamau on "Ballad of Noah", and Broken Social Scene's Sam Roberts and Kevin Drew on "Valhalla".
Though K-OS may have managed to brand his collective mash-up sound while eschewing the pigeonhole, his versatility in various roles remains questionable. On Atlantis, he plays the preacher, the philosopher, the lover and the critic. "If you reach a dead end trail/pray to god it never fails," we are reminded on "Ballad of Noah". While on "Mirror in the Sky", he assures us that he is "not a gangsta ... not a banker ... not a pimp ... not a fighter", abstaining, as usual, from the empty materialism of mainstream hip hop. And on "Sunday Morning", the single prematurely hailed as this year's "Crazy", he sings "where is my revolution", exposing what is perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the record: his ambiguous philosophizing, evident in meandering lyrical content. While its didacticism detracts from the whole, Atlantis' lush aural vista is flooded with creative sound fusions and catchy hooks certain to entice music fans from across the spectrum.
