The Spirit of Apollo
Studio album by
N.A.S.A.
ReleasedFebruary 17, 2009 (2009-02-17)
Recorded2004-2009
GenreBaile funk, hip hop, electronica, rock
Length76:01
LabelANTI-
ProducerN.A.S.A.
Singles from The Spirit of Apollo
  1. "Hip Hop"
    Released: January 28, 2009
  2. "The People Tree"
    Released: February 23, 2009
  3. "Way Down"
    Released: March 11, 2009
  4. "Gifted"
    Released: March 27, 2009
  5. "Spacious Thoughts"
    Released: November 19, 2009
  6. "Strange Enough"
    Released: July 15, 2010
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic64/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Alternative Press[3]
The A.V. ClubB+[4]
Consequence of SoundC−[5]
The Guardian[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
The Phoenix[8]
Pitchfork1.6/10[9]
PopMatters[10]
The Skinny[11]

The Spirit of Apollo is the only album by N.A.S.A., a hip hop duo consisting of Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon.[12] It was released on ANTI- in 2009.[13]

The track, "N.A.S.A. Anthem", was featured on the official NASA Glenn Research Center website as "NASA Anthem".[14] The album features guest appearances from Kanye West, David Byrne, Tom Waits, RZA, Kool Keith, Chuck D, John Frusciante, Method Man, M.I.A, Santigold, Seu Jorge, George Clinton, Spank Rock, Chali 2na, KRS-One, Lykke Li, Ghostface Killah, Karen O, and Ol' Dirty Bastard, amongst others.

Reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, The Spirit of Apollo received an average score of 64 based on 24 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[1]

Zeth Lundy of The Phoenix said: "The beats are eminently funky, the rhymes tight, and the topics decidedly old-school: plain-spoken boasts, the rejection of greed, and an acknowledgment of our communal evolution indicate the overall tone."[8] Meanwhile, John Bush of AllMusic said: "Few of the guests stand out, none of them seem to be speaking to each other, and the result is, ironically, a Babel of voices and sounds that doesn't communicate much of anything."[2]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Intro"0:59
2."The People Tree" (featuring David Byrne, Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, and Z-Trip)4:14
3."Money" (featuring David Byrne, Chuck D, Ras Congo, Seu Jorge, and Z-Trip)4:16
4."N.A.S.A. Music" (featuring Method Man, E-40, and DJ Swamp)4:22
5."Way Down" (featuring RZA, Barbie Hatch, and John Frusciante)3:13
6."Hip Hop" (featuring KRS-One, Fatlip, and Slim Kid Tre)4:07
7."Four Rooms, Earth View"0:25
8."Strange Enough" (featuring Karen O, Ol' Dirty Bastard, and Fatlip)4:13
9."Spacious Thoughts" (featuring Tom Waits and Kool Keith)4:30
10."Gifted" (featuring Kanye West, Santigold, and Lykke Li)3:39
11."A Volta" (featuring Sizzla, Amanda Blank, and Lovefoxxx)3:13
12."There's a Party" (featuring George Clinton, and Chali 2na)4:07
13."Whachadoin?" (featuring Spank Rock, M.I.A., Santigold, and Nick Zinner)4:09
14."O Pato" (featuring Kool Kojak and DJ Babão)3:18
15."Samba Soul" (featuring Del tha Funkee Homosapien and DJ Qbert)4:24
16."The Mayor" (featuring The Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah, Scarface, and DJ AM)4:35
17."N.A.S.A. Anthem"15:32
18."Electric Flowers" (featuring Nina Persson and RZA) 

Charts

Chart Peak
position
Billboard 200[15] 178
Heatseekers Albums[16] 6
Independent Albums[17] 23

References

  1. ^ a b "The Spirit Of Apollo - N.A.S.A." Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Bush, John. "The Spirit of Apollo - N.A.S.A." AllMusic. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  3. ^ Fleischer, Eddie (May 24, 2010). "The Spirit Of Apollo". Alternative Press.
  4. ^ "N.A.S.A.: The Spirit Of Apollo". The A.V. Club. February 24, 2009.
  5. ^ Litowitz, Drew (February 18, 2009). "N.A.S.A. – The Spirit of Apollo". Consequence of Sound.
  6. ^ Simpson, Dave (February 13, 2009). "N.A.S.A.: The Spirit of Apollo". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Wappler, Margaret (February 15, 2009). "Album review: N.A.S.A.'s 'The Spirit of Apollo'". Los Angeles Times.
  8. ^ a b Lundy, Zeth (February 18, 2009). "N.A.S.A. - The Spirit of Apollo". The Phoenix.
  9. ^ Breihan, Tom (February 18, 2009). "N.A.S.A.: The Spirit of Apollo". Pitchfork Media.
  10. ^ Tricker, Spencer (February 23, 2009). "N.A.S.A.:The Spirit of Apollo". PopMatters.
  11. ^ Brown, Ally (February 16, 2009). "N.A.S.A. - The Spirit of Apollo". The Skinny.
  12. ^ Freedland, Henry (October 9, 2008). "N.A.S.A. debut to feature David Byrne, Ghostface Killah, Tom Waits, Chuck D, Karen O, Kanye West, M.I.A., many more". Paste.
  13. ^ Jones, Chris (2009). "N.A.S.A. - The Spirit of Apollo - Review". BBC.
  14. ^ "NASA anthem". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  15. ^ "N.A.S.A. - Chart history - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  16. ^ "N.A.S.A. - Chart history - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  17. ^ "N.A.S.A. - Chart history - Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2016.

External links

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