Decent review, but this album, although presented in metaphor, tells a very direct story with the death of his friend "Mu" being the catalyst. I'll just use the track numbers, not titles and give the simplest explanation of the arc as it reflects his life.. ( Not really an explanation of each song, he already did that, but story as I see it) 1. Moves to a barn in Washington to write this album and escape from people, but still nostalgic about LA. 2. What I got? I'm a failed visual artist and have to resort to what i knows, making another album. 3. Maybe being an artist is too much pretense. People are creative in different ways, so let's look forward and stop feeling old. Damn I feel old. . 4. But shit, this means being a part of the "scene" again with all these dorks playing around in a popularity contest. "I'll be over there." Gotta get this off my chest tho. 5. Anyways back to the barn, gotta finish the album. Is moving to the barn really the change I needed? I got my old synth, I got this. 6. Damn, it's Christmas. I'm a ghost out here. I think I miss my family. 7. How my brothers doin? Let's think of some funny stories. Lol, Fucking funny. Mu was like a brother...... shit. 8. Damn, I miss Mu. Can't let him go, sitting here in my car trying to convince myself to go in for help. Get out the car Ace. 9. Alright I'm here. Hey doc, "how do you stabilize after years of taking anti depressants.?" She tells me to get a cat. 10. Got a cat. Named him Kirby. Kirby is an asshole, but he's cool. 11. Questioning going to therapy. Remembering the breakdown. Yeah I need to go. 12. Back to the album... this is worth it right? You know what, fuck it, I'm an artist. I'm a good artist, I don't draw, but music definitely means something. This album is going to mean something. 13. Alright I'm close, is this falling apart? What else can go wrong now? Aw fuck, now there's a bobcat. Goddammit what else I gotta deal with? 14. I think I can accept Mu's death. I think I can finish this. We all die. 15. Finished. Maybe I should move back home. I think I'm going back east. Is that where I belong? Who the fuck knows anymore. I'm out. Take it or leave it, I just don't hear a disjointed album or arbitrary collection of songs. I hear where Ace had been these last few years, how he got there, how he got out and where he's going. Peace
I love this album, listened to it again and again, read through the lyrics a lot but the arc you described is awesome shows how well it all builds into a narrative, thanks for sharing
Aesop Rock was the first artist to teach me the true meaning of subjectivity and how it works in conjunction with the human brain's innate desire to make sense or put some order to everything it perceives. Everybody hears something differently. Even a single sentence can vary in meaning from person to person. The words that I choose to use are the ones that I feel get my point across the most directly, but depending on how you interpret those words you might derive a different meaning entirely. When we experience art, we project ourselves onto it. The more I type here the more you have to interpret, the more information you have towards the bigger picture that im trying to paint. Conversely the more I type, the more chances you have to project yourself and put your own spin on the words im saying. Whether you see some kind of deep meaning, you think im rambling or you think im a pretentious asshole sitting behind a keyboard flexing his vocabulary; it all has to do with you. I don't ever expect to fully know what Aesop Rock means. Just as I need to learn to accept the fact that no one will ever fully understand what I mean, especially with something as subjective as music. let people see what they want to see, give them a canvas their minds want to paint. The more attractive a person finds that canvas, the more successful and artist you will be.
My favorite Aesop album, i know that may be blasphemy to some fans but i think his sense of production has improved and i love how it's more personal and he pulls back the shroud of dense obscure lyrics a bit, although there are still plenty of those too.
fucking rad close, but it's more just pure Intuition. I'm an extreme extravert but Aesop is my favourite rapper for the intuitive thinking required to truly apply his perspectives
I totally see what you mean about the beats. They are a bit clean and have a rigid structure. However, I think they fit his vocal style perfectly. Of course his vocals plus the blockhead beats were a match made in heaven, but some of the stuff produced by el-p (and other producers) were too busy and overwhelming. The beats on the impossible kid are funky enough to bop my head to, but leave enough space for his intricate rhyme style to shine through. Thank you for taking the time to review it.
Totally agree, I think Impossible Kids beats are groovy and give his vocals a lot of space, which his delivery and lyrics fill perfectly. This album is probably a 9/10 for me, I love pretty much every track. Theyre all groovy and unique and I enjoy all of them, Especially Dorks and Blood Sandwich.
Agreed, I think because Aesop self-produced this one, he gets a tad precious. With Blockhead's cuts, he rides the beat more, I feel, and they underscore the lyrics. Something about the symbiosis on this record gives it a muddled, almost washed out aesthetic.
I keep giving bad people good ideas... I keep giving bad people good ideas... I keep giving bad people good ideas... I keep giving bad people good ideas... I keep giving bad people good ideas...
@@samadmuhammad4781 Yeah I love this album lyrically and narratively, I think it gets kneecapped in production though. Good, and interesting at points but not top tier.
Hey Anthony have you heard of this obscure indie group called death grips? I know you hated all of their previous work but you should give there newest project a listens brosef
+xscriberx It's Alex Pardee. I don't like any of his art. It's kind of childish. 14 year old's back cover of their maths jotter. Hip Hop albums are generally shit artwork.
Lyricism doesn't necessarily make an artist better. His flow, rhythm, candence, catchiness, beats, and overall enjoyability isn't shit compared to other rappers. You aren't actually going to tell me you would rather listen to this than Kendrick Lamar's meaningful or even Lil Pump's meaningless music. Most people don't listen to music for the lyrics. That is why he isn't popular. Just lyrics is a speech. In order to make well-regarded music, you need to have a balance. This is why albums such as To Pimp a Butterfly and My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy are regarded as the best modern albums. 200 years ago music rarely ever had lyrics. Music has almost always been based off of the melody, in fact lyricism being a major part of music is a recent event. You also do not want your music to go over 98% of people's heads. I highly doubt you guys can decipher this, hell Anthony said he couldn't understand this. You were probably told he was a great lyricist. His topics really aren't that deep compared to other artists. Migos talking about making crack in every goddamn song is deeper than Aesop's lyrics. I am not saying I hate his music or anything, but he is far from the goat
@@bigblackhawk7176 And you just perfectly exemplified where, if you talk to much, people start to make it about themselves in a way; also ,if you say just enough, they get your concept. "Talking about making crack in every goddamn song" is deeper... TO YOU but, for a lot of people, Aes' openness about mental illness, reclusive and hermit natures, and back and forth willingness to change himself is eons deeper than "talking about making crack". I get it and to each his own, but you can't forsake one for the other with such a myriad of participants listening in.
I think it is fun to figure out his lyrics. After each listen it makes more sense. Most are not too hard to figure out, but when you do, it is amazing how clever he is at smithing words.
this album was really accessible imo, i had no problems with it. the prod kinda reminds of something between danny brown's xxx and run the jewels, something that really appeals to me. lyrics are easy to understand but still with enough of those abstract, metaphorical lines only aes can drop. one of the year's best hip hop abums for sure, dope.
I found aesop from a guy in a chance the rapper facebook group talking about his album and I really enjoyed it because his style of rap/hip hop is so unique and his songs are so interestingly worded that during your first few listens you sorta have to treat it like a Shakespeare play and decode each sentence to fully understand what the hell he's rapping about. It's like one of those brain trainer apps but with awesome music instead of hard math questions.
I am an AES fan but I love his music because you have to read into it. You have to re-listen to it. You have to have a really open mind when you listen to it. One of few MCs that really do this.
Fully disagree with your criticism of his beats. They're great beats IMO. You criticize them as too rigid but I find value in their structure. I guarantee these well-structured beats will hold up better over time than 90% of the disposable flavor-of-the-month hip-pop crap that is so popular right now.
Aesop Rock will continue to be evaluated and listened to by fans as well as artists for 50 years. I think that's mainly because of his imagery, rhyme scheme, essentially his lyricism, but his beats definitely add alot.
+Backpacker 2 very different types of music. But I'd be curious to hear what you believe to be better of the two, with a name like "Backpacker," your surely unbiased opinion is very important to me.
I mean he has been in the game way longer than rocky, has a much MUCH larger vocabulary, has been consistently dropping quality albums for all of his career (which asap rocky arguably hasn't) and is just all around a more talented guy.
+TheSethcast Not all backpackers are like that. I'm certainly not. Music is entirely subjective, like what you like. Sure, I mainly listen to backpack rap but i'll fuck with anyone if I like it. Even some Drake and Asap.
Loved Aes since "Float". His lyrics were impressive back then and every album since has seen him improve lyrically, and in the cases where he's produced the records himself, improved as a producer. Dude's got a grasp on the English language that few can match.
Aes's records are some of the best, both of us were diagnosed with spectrum disorder (high functioning Asperger's) when we were young and a lot of his lyrics are meant to reflect the abstract jumpy thought process that someone like us goes through when we're trying to make sense of ourselves in life and it made me really drawn to his music.
I strongly disagree on the production. I think it's great and I really enjoy this kind of style, much more than the overproduced crapfest of these recent years. Besides, it's really difficult to create a personal and distinct style and Aesop certainly has it.
I've been in love with Impossible Kid because I can relate to it a lot after this particular year. I thought it was even better than Skelethon, there were more tracks that I liked, and they were all back to back to back. I particularly liked Rings, Supercell and Shrunk. I liked how his style took since Skelethon. All fair criticisms, the interesting thing about Aesop is that most aspects of his music is "you either love it or don't," but I tell anyone it's worth trying to appreciate. I was very satisfied with this album, Aes does it again.
I think what most people fail to do is close their eyes while their listening to aesop rock. Too much sensory stimulation can cause you to miss the intricate details. It happens to me all the time, but if I close my eyes and listen to the song its almost as if I am him.
I already knew you liked Aesop. Still had to watch the whole thing, just to make sure you didn't say anything bad about my homie. Thanks for reinforcing my opinions Ant
@@chuy7880 To be fair both TOBACCO and Aesop Rock are experimental/abstract artists so not everyone is gonna love it. At first I couldn't stand the production but it really grew on me after a while and now I can appreciate it. But I feel you
This album is so fucking good. It took be a while to fully fall in love with it. Not only is Aesop an acquired taste, each album is each time he drops a new one. I started out only really loving Mystery Fish and Rings and Dorks, then I loved Blood Sandwich and Get out the Car, then I fully got Shrunk and Lotta Years. I still don't love every single track but who knows maybe in another few years I'll get there.
Cslelvelc kflsclce I wrote this before I had really listened to the album that much. Right now, I like about every song suprisingly except dorks. I don't know why, but it just didn't click with me. My top favorite is either Defender, Blood Sandwich, or Supercell.
I really love his production and beats on this record. He knows what he will flow well over and executes amazingly on this album. No features, produced it himself, and I can't stop listening to it. Aesop you killed it yet again. Lyrics are so fun to listen to.
The production is outstanding. Dorks, man one my favorite beats ever, same for Blood Sandwich and the way he weaves in the dj cuts makes you feel nostalgic like the song, Supercell gives you the eery feeling of a ghost, Tuff pure hip hop shit. The production is so hip hop while still being forward thinking
Aesop Rock is incredibly brilliant, extremely complex and a metaphoric genius, but his music style is way too macabre for my liking about 90% dark and 10% hope.
There are a lot of times that I disagree with your ratings when it comes to artists I already like, but its times like this when you turn me onto an artist I've never heard of and I instantly become a super fan, that I remember why I subscribed to the needle drop. aes is sick af
I find his esoteric-ness very appealing and trendsetting. Almost like a juxtapose to mumble on the rap spectrum he creates a “meta” vibe just with the cryptic aspect itself, but he also delivers meaning that is clear-cut at certain times.
Loving this album, much easier to understand than his previous work (but I would agree if your a fan, you pick up on stuff that others don't) but still dense and cryptic enough to keep me coming back daily to find new meaning/jam out to the fresh, hard hitting beats. I'm impressed to see his style remain golden and wordsmithing at the absolute peak, much more personal than the previous records too
Do you ever do Metal bands reviews, I can only think of at the top of my head Ensiferum, Ghost, Megadeath, Motorhead and many other with new albums. it would be a great opportunity to spread your viewers to Metal fans as well. Cheers from Sweden
+RumpleFORSKIN_45ACP He loved the last Ghost album - there's just a lot of high-profile stuff suddenly coming out elsewhere rn and he'll probably catch up later when things quiet down.
I think there is a method to Aesop's production. This album had a very nostalgic NY beats undertone, though he leaves NY, seemingly... That being said, NY's style has never been overly complicated. Its about a smooth beat and a solid message. The hard sells for this album all have that. Still his complexity in telling a simple story. (Ruby '81, for example). I think he has developed a very specific influence in each project, he embraces. "Preservation" with Del, "Crooked" with Evil Nine, and HMM. He gets his real listeners, and keeps them guessing as to what else he is capable of. You can shoot me for this, but he is like hip-hop's Maynard.
I feel a little different about the cryptic lyrical delivery. I think, maybe for the first few records there may have been a deliberate attempt to distance himself from the easily digestible lyrics of many of his peers, but it evolved into its own beast. On "Shrunk" I get the impression that he has, in a sense, forged his own language for his art over time. And maybe that form of communication has a downside in the way it feeds back into his personal life. In a way, this biofeedback idea seems to the the foundation that "the impossible kid" rests on. Favorite track: Rabies.
I don't think he actually was going for that to be so complex. He probably just didn't think that people would get confused. If people continued to listen, then he just kept going. I read/saw (can't remember) in an interview that he said something close to "I don't really read books or feel like I could write a book." He doesn't want to come off as someone who is book smart but I think he feels that people really aren't listening if they think it's just nonsense.
How isn't Mystery Fish in your FAVE TRACKS. The flow is impeccable along with his godly rhymesmithy (god I wish that was a real word) and his top notch wordplay and lyrics in general. It's Aesop in his prime. It's by far my favorite song of his (tied with the masterpiece Zero Dark Thirty). +theneedledrop
I'm in shock and awe of this album. I'm not a fan other than hearing him speckled here and here. That's until now. This album is a breath of fresh beach air. His style, lyricism and instrumentals combine to a hip hop heads dream. It's to rap fiends as pulp fiction is to movie lovers. I'm already buying the cd to go with the digital release because that's what you should do for and artists you love. I guess this album to me is like trying out a series like Twin Peaks on Netflix. Then binging and fanboying out.
No comments about the actual review or album... I found this album at second listen i didn't like as much. I came back day later & listened to more, then it was a lot better & i've listened to it many times a day since. Favorite song on the album is "Get out the car" Also the background video on youtube is cute, they did the whole shining with little figures lol
