"My dream house is dead bolts, and less than no windows" is rather literal; i.e. Aes would prefer to be locked in a windowless room, isolated from the world. I was going to wait until I finished your video to respond, but halfway through, I got to this quote, so I'll say this: I don't think Aesop uses his verbosity to show off. I think he does it because the words are what interests him, what have kept him going for 20+ years. This is a bit of an inversion of what you proffered, "what is interesting about his music is his lyrics," in that, as an artist, he himself, is interested in using words for their sound, their cadence, their syllabic quality. He is an abstract poet groping for meaning from a perspective of despair, anxiety, framed by an awkward longing for isolation. Can it be overwhelming? Absolutely. But, are we really knocking a lyricist for using too many words? If you want to slow down, head to Labor Days, or None Shall Pass. Alright, I'll finish the video.
"Can you really listen to this album over and over again" ...yes. that's how you listen to aesop. I can listen to the same song 100 times and pick up something new on the 101st.
Thats what makes him so good, its way more relistinable when you are finding new things as if its your first listen, its almost like a really fun challenge at times, but i cam understand that it may not be for everyone.
For me, the long songs keep me coming back to decipher the meaning. The 'aha' moments can come after two days, months or years of listening. That amazes me.
word, I've been listening to Aesop for about seven years and I STILL come back and find myself realizing new information I had previously glossed over completely.
Labor Days, Skelethon, and Impossible Kid is his most essential listens. I'd also recommend checking out his collaborations with Rob Sonic under the Hail Mary Mallon name, specifically Bestiary, and his track on Bazooka Tooth with El-P. Many of his singles are worth listening; top singles being Rogue Wave, Klutz, and None Shall Pass. There's a lot to dig into this artist and as someone who's in their younger 20's, he's like listening to a older sibling or an uncle.
Sorry man, I have to disagree with you that Aesop’s flow isn’t good. Yeah he’s not Blackthought or anything. But his delivery is much more dynamic and interesting than the majority of the current rap landscape
@Boof Lord The goose bumps I got for the first 6 months I'd listen to the cadence in the second half proves it was a successful one. The pacing around these lines - "They'd talk of his adventuring and call him things like salty dog, he freed like a bajillion people from some secret haunted bog"
He actually went to school for visual arts. The man is insanely talented in sketching, and a lot of his music videos contain his own artwork. I've always kind of had the opinion that that is one of the reasons he can describe his thought process with such vivid imagery, he just replaces his pen with his voice.
I didn't know that, thats really cool. That also makes sense with his opinion on a lot of artists and why people make art (i.e. his Impossible Kid mini show he did when he released that album where he talks to his psychologist bear in the woods)
Your channel was made for Aesop Rock albums haha. Great review, loving the reviews. The Impossible Kid or Labor Days could also be a really interesting review
To answer your question, yes, i can listen to this album 3 times, every day, all week, i love the word density and appreciate the effort and love for his craft every time
"can you listen to his album over and over?" yes! I listened to SWFG for a month straight. The thing you may be missing about ace is it is overwhelming the first couple of listens because it's so foreign. It becomes more and more comfortable as you take in the meanings. I love it.
Interesting to hear such an in depth review of this album from someone that isn't familiar with aes. To answer your question about the drugs/psychedelic aspect - aes has said he doesn't really do much aside from smoking weed.
Pizza Alley is about taking ayahuasca in Peru!... He is NOT straight edge, but none of his songs glorify gratuitous drug use, however, he does reference all kinds of drugs in his songs. "Drugs & fucking is part of growing up" AR.
There's definitely a lot of stuff about addiction to pills, like ketamine and such. I recall a line about him spending summer puking pills behind the dumpster, and being the biggest pez dispenser. He does have a few songs about drugs, but it's never glorification, or the like. In that song with the line I paraphrased, he most certainly isn't bragging about it xD
every year or so i go through a period where the only artist i can listen to is aes for like a couple months. i’ll go through his whole discography multiple times and constantly find new things and really try to listen to other artists but it just doesn’t scratch that same itch. no one is like aes
Kodokushi is a recurring theme in a lot of Aes’s work. Dorks on The Impossible Kid he has a line where he questions “will the neighbors smell my corpse before the cat eat my face?”
Aesop Rock is the best abstract writer I've ever read. It's just so interesting for me personally. think hard to get anything out of his music that is. Even though it's an exhausting experience. I mean, he meant it to be like that as he said. He want people to give so much energy and time to wrap there heads around his lyrics.
Who knows how far down the rabbit hole I've fallen since 2002 when I first found this artist. Listening to Aesop Rock is as (un)comfortable as looking in the mirror. On repeat, every week.
Then there is the fourth level. This is where you know the lyrics and can recite entire songs from memory. Once you reach this level Aesop invades and inhabits your body and mind in his spirit form.
This is a good place to be. Words flowing like water downstream over the edge of a waterfall when they drop. This is the imagery I get with the lyricism. Our man Ian is dope!
He's my favorite rapper, I listen to them all the time. I don't think I can rap the words to one of of his songs. I haven't listened to Eminem much in years and can still recite a ton of his songs exactly. This is one of the more impressive things about Aesop to me, I try, but can't remember his lyrics, that's how complex they are.
You would probably enjoy like Aesop Rock's album "impossible kid". Also the song TV on 10 he did as part of the uncluded is great at painting an evolving scene.
He actually isnt just the "hip hop artist with the most unique words" hes the artist with the most unique words in any genre which was also com po ared to historical artists and works such as Shakespeare and the bible....pretty amazing for a "rapper"
I love Aseop because he gives you so much content that you'll be unpacking it for years. It's cool to have something that you've been listening to for years and still are able to take away something new everytime. I wouldn't want every artist to be like that but I definitely appreciate it from Aseop. Idk if you take suggestions here but if I could put one in, Drogas Wave by Lupe Fiasco is a great album and I enjoyed your breakdown of House by him 👍
Dead bolts and less than no windows talks about his isolation and his introverted and depressive state. Like on malibu ken. "I don't even like horses, I like wild orchards and neighbors with wide orbits." He likes to be isolated and this album was his way of getting out of his shell. Note. The impossible kid.
I talk like it hurts to talk, mascot of Murphy's law From the claw game at the Walt Whitman mall To the worst curb cuts of the urban sprawl To what stirs in the purple moss, which world Make a perp less scurred of his quirks and flaws Or make it okay to learn how you are, no jury Instead of all insecurity, no mercy
"Never you mind the moth eggs I'm warm and the TV is on always" For me, this is a reference to the state of his home. Saying, don't mind the dirt and decay. I'm fine. I keep warm. As for the TV being on always... This, I think, is reference to the state of society being hypnotized by mainstream media. I almost imagine a person hold up in a blanket staring blankly at a fuzzy television in the dark. Aes is an incredible artist.
about your TV comment: “Television, all hail grand pixelated god of fantasy, murder scape and perspective fuck a sore channel changed digit I sit with a nasty network intervenes plan with a stable diet of my cable pirate” from his track Basic Cable. i think you're pretty spot on.
I think the coolest thing about dissecting aesops lyrics is that you could go in so many directions the simple act of trying to understand forces you to create. its awesome, my favorite rapper since '99! Good review, P.
I love that you reviewed this! I’ve loved Aesop since the late 90’s and he just keeps doing it and doing it and doing it well. But many ppl don’t go in depth enough when the review him. Nice job.
After watching, I'm glad that you got so much appreciation for Aes' style without knowing much about his background. He's been making music for like 30+ years. With lots of other big names in the underground scene. Check out some of his work with El-P. I'd also strongly recommend looking at The Impossible Kid for more accessible lyrics along with the token fantastic production. Malibu Ken with TOBACCO is amazing if you like synths, and the Hail Mary Mallon albums with Rob Sonic are just an intricately woven maze of cryptic words and themes.
Definitely one of my favorite albums by Aesop. All the things you complained about are the reasons why I loved the album. Its so dense and lyrical that you can come back to the album for years and never get sick of it. If you're looking to listen to an album that is more conventional this is not the album for you. This is more for people who like to study the wordplay. Its like solving a puzzle in that you can individually understand small portions of the lyrics but it takes time to put them all together. Once they all fall into place the picture is revealed and you're able to finally visualize what Aesop is trying to say. That's what keeps us coming back.
I appreciate you taking time to listen to Aesop. His work is very dense. Ive listened to him since Float and still to this day Im discovering new takes and catching verses that went over my head. I enjoy his cryptic style. His latest album Garbology, although still his patented style is "easier" to digest first listen.
I love the metaphorical breakdowns you do. Subscribed. Been an Aes fan since I first heard him in 2001 and look forward to future takes on his material.
'never mind the moth eggs; i'm warm and the t.v. is on, always.' = 'worry not that my coat sees so little air the moths have laid their eggs within it's folds; for my abode is warm and the company of my television is ceaseless.' also 'fables and funyons' is now my chosen colloquialism for 'dungeons and dragons'.
great review! and to answer your question, aesop only smokes weed now and then, doesn't drink, and said he's done mushrooms twice in the past 20 years. though the song pizza alley describes his ayahuasca experience in peru
he said he didn’t do any drugs to inspire this album. i get the sense that he was inspired by the culture and mythology of the Peruvian people rather than having actually taken ayahuasca there
@@chicNstu702 there were a few references to being high and also ayahuasca. he might have been smoking weed out there but i don't think he did ayahuasca. his response to the question "how many psychedelic trips inspired this album", was "0.0..". but many lines in that song would lead you to believe he did. i was definitely convinced of it until i heard his response. having been to peru and the amazon though, its an incredibly trippy place even without ingesting the actual entheogens. its like they're in the air without you having to take them.
Seriously? He was on benzo for years.. as someone who was on xannax as well as everything else.. thats as hard core a drug and drug habit there is.. just getting out alive is amazing
Great review, was looking forward to it. Aes in his 40’s, he’s not a drug guy, smokes weed I think, but he’s said the album wasn’t influenced by psychedelics. DJ Zone does the scratching. He raps much more pronounced and in the pocket/on beat on his last 2-3 projects. I’d be interested in what you thought of his albums from nearly 20 years ago like Float, labor Days or Bazooka Tooth.
Where'd he say it wasn't influenced by psychedelics? On his insta story he said he didn't write any of it while on psychedelics, but it's clearly thematically inspired in part by psychedelics and Pizza Alley is full of direct references to a him doing ayahuascua in Peru
@@d0onut Yeah, that's what I said. There's a difference between writing while under the influence of psychedelics and being inspired by a psychedelic trip or even psychedelic culture in general, though
Aesop rock as an artist that has layers like an onion.... I’ve spent the last 25 years listening to his work and learn a new line or connection each play through.. he is as deep as your willing to dive
I genuinely wish I was there to discuss this album with you because there are so many points I agree with and disagree with but all of them are great points. The video is too long sadly for me to really hash out every point in a youtube comment section so I'll try to stick with an overview. I can agree with the 3 levels of listening but I personally can listen to him anywhere at anytime just for his flow and beats. I work at a golf course and on the day it dropped I put the album on repeat for about 5 hours while I maintained bunkers. I love listening to Aes for various reasons, one of which is his ability to create songs that you can just listen to without trying to peel through the layers, but those layers are there for when you're ready to do a deep dive. I love his ability to write serious songs about social commentary or just general anxiety or being severely depressed. One of my favorite songs by him is Get Out the Car and my favorite line from that is "Hounds at bay but they just won't stay" and that's genuinely how I feel. I considered suicide at the age of 4 due to sexual and mental/physical abuse and while it's never something I'll do I still have to deal with that severe depression and it's like I'm constantly holding the dogs at bay. Whether he meant it like that or not doesn't matter to me, it's how it resonated. But I also love how he's able to write silly songs about the same topic, or even completely different topics. The very next track on the very same album as Get Out The Car is Kirby, a song about a cat his therapist suggested he get just doing cute cat things like messing about in a hamper. I personally think he writes the songs he wants to write using words he wants to use not to be pretentious or snobby, but because he just likes how they sound and he enjoys seeing how they fit together. There's so much more I want to talk about but it would require way more comments and I've written enough LOL
P.S I'll check out that album you suggested in the video, I loved the video and subscribed I'll be excited to hear more of your thoughts. If you ever do another Aes album I would recommend The Impossible Kid
Great vid. Great artist. Great love/hate relationship with funions. The callbacks to "garbage food" had me in stitches. Very smart analysis of my favorite hip hop artist. Well done. Subscribed!
12:40 No, been listening for years and he's 70% of what I listen to even still. I love the thoughts and ideas, and metaphors within metaphors. It sparks joy
I wonder if your feelings on the album as an overall concept would adapt any if you listened to his preceding album "The Impossible Kid"? I think that SWFG was partially made in the context of the prior work, as it generally details the pit fall and dark times of his life and his climb from that to contentedness and rebuilding (among so many other things, it is an Aesop Rock album).
RUclips recommendations brought me back! This review and the Open Mike Eagle review were both interesting because I got to hear your fresh take on two artists who have such rich expressions and catalogues of work. Despite not being familiar with their past works, you were still able to decipher some of the more obscure references and complex productions both artists put out. Looking forward to more reviews!
You have to actively listen to get it. After that, you can start to listen to it less actively. You eventually get to the point you have a vocabulary experience. You can start get get into other albums. His lyrics are an HD experience, and don't go stale. I still get or rediscover stuff from None Shall Pass.
I thoroughly enjoyed this for how well you did as far as an aesop album review you get an A- that is the highest grade I've given for an aesop album review the only way to get an A+is to go line by line and don't miss anything....this is as good a album review as I've seen
really like your analysis style and the lighthearted knowledgeableness vibe. made some well pointed critiques where due that i would have been inclined to just gloss over, guess being a professor lets you do that. cheers, i am now a new subscriber
I like your take on him ending verses with one simple word and using onomatopoeia to be more relatable and break up his verbosity. I thought on The Gates, for example, that he was saying "I mean, dude!" and phrases like that almost in a joking way like, "I know your following all of this."
Aesop Rock fan here! Been a fan since 2004 and he has so many albums, his first in 1997. It is a wildly different Aesop than we see in his newer albums, he has evolved with the times so well. Please please please watch him with Kimya Dawson in The Uncluded. They have a beautifully ugly harmony? There is totally some content there for you haha And no it's not a drugs album lol! It's Aesop! Watch his song Shrunk, 1 of 4(this is an important one), Cycles to Gehenna(you will have a field day with this one), Kirby and Long Leg Larry(you will like these, too cute!). None Shall Pass, his super hit after Daylight... Both bangers you should do! Or anything off both those albums haha Oh and you said he was trying to "Keep his highest vocabulary" but honestly who is close? 1997-2021 with new music almost every year... Dude is the most inspirational depressed guy ever. ❤️
It's requested because he is underrated and we don't know why because he's on a different level. That's the basis. It's been that way since the 90s. "AWOL Spaceman" is fitting.
Almost a year, that's how long it took me to finally get into this album and that is me as a long time fan of his music. There was definitely some personal issues getting in the way but regardless then one day a few months after a job change. I was doing a mindless job at work and I put the album on from track one to finish and it just clicked and it went from being one I wasn't too sure on to one of my personal favorites of his career. It even inspired a tattoo that I'll be getting in the near-ish future. Absolutely love this album!
This is by far my favorite Aesop project! The reason for that, isnt rap at all. I believe Aesop truly just showed us Aesop. But he gave a message at the very beginning if anyone cares to listen. What you take from it will be exclusively for you. It can only be a reflection of you. There is no order but the order you assign. He mentions all of that as I said. If you have a linear mind, clearly you do Skye, you perceive it linearly. He explains this as well. He also explains the levels are infinite. I honestly dont believe many people will see to the core of this, because they will not see past their own perception of the events they are perceiving. Which is also discussed. But its not referencing the spirit world just because it is. However, self reflection and having a reflective mind state is such a rarity these days. I cherish this project as the risk Aesop takes here is immense. The vulnerability you have to have putting this out is wild, you only briefly touched on that with your story of high school. Also your insecurity at being an intelligent person. Funny world we live isnt it? What we do to intelligence to regulate our own emotions. Very thorough review and I am grateful to get to know you better!! I def come for the thick loquaciousness of your breakdowns!! They are fantastic and truly what I believe to at the heart of music critiquing!!
Aesop spent some time in isolation, living in a barn in a forest. It's my understanding that SWFG is his reentry to society. The Spirit World is the real world. If you're curious about that isolation, it resulted in The Impossible Kid.
“My ideal house is deadbolts And less than no windows” has a pretty clear, concrete meaning to me. Deadbolts- his ideal house is secure. And “less than no windows-“ in his ideal house he doesn’t feel exposed the way you do when you walk by a window in your home that’s open (blinds drawn) to the street (at least you do if you’re a bit neurotic like me). He’s painting a perfect picture of the introverted & anxious drive to isolate. Also I don’t get the hostility towards psychedelics. Psychedelics & imagination go hand in hand- they’re two sides of the same coin. Psychedelics essentially bring the deep subconscious imagination to manifestation around & within you. This can be extremely profound, inspiring, etc., and if those experiences inspired this incredible art then I can’t comprehend why someone would think that devalues it in some way... The psychedelic experience has been a part of the human experience for millennia, practically since we’ve been intelligent beings. Reconcile with it. It doesn’t have to be for you, but it’s not something shallow or phony or over-valued or something... Both in terms of the profundity of the states they can induce & in terms of the therapeutic value many of them have been scientifically proven to have for anything from PTSD to death anxiety to alcoholism & opioid addiction (depending on which ones we’re talking about)... I just don’t understand why someone would so desperately want not to believe psychedelics were an influence here. If they were then they seem to have been a good one based on the way it came out... But yeah, what psychedelics do is centered around your imagination & your sensory experience of it... It’s not like “sober imagination valuable & authentic. Tripping imagination not valuable or authentic.”
As a fellow Outlander, I will say that Ian (Aes) is a person who wants to belong but never has. He was probably smarter than most or all of his friends. He was also too rebellious and intelligent for regular school and a "normal" career. Combine this with mental issues like anti-social disorder or social anxiety. Add some interest in drugs, spurred by peers, mixed with natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge, eventually leading to psychedelic drug use. Most of his lyrics are metaphoric and/or hyperbolic. This comes from always feeling like you have to translate your thoughts for consumption. This results in the best hip-hop artist of all time and a poet of the era, whose value may not be realized until some distant future when humans have evolved to more easily understand each other. Sorry if that was a little jumbled. Hopefully it helps. Peace. P.S. also He has recently fled the city life for more rural life, hence all the references to wildlife and so on. Almost sure he has no children, being in his 40s this is cause for existential dilemmas. His "normy" vocab use is probably dual use for fun/humor and also to give that look of "I am still like some of y'all" to his music. Much love
Aesop has been in the underground for 30+ years at this point other artists remind you of him, not the other way around. He is like Captain Beefheart, you can't start with Trout Mask Replica, you need Safe as Milk to ease you in.
i stuck around for the whole video and i really wish i didn't. i really appreciate your obvious intelligence and the articulate synopsis of this album. It just sucks that this album was your introduction to his music. I'd love to hear an honest breakdown from you of some of his other albums like "Float" or "The Impossible Kid" or "Skelethon" or even just individual songs like: None Shall Pass, Daylight, Garbage, Commencement at the Obedience Academy, No City, Cycles of Gehenna. Either way, even though i didn't agree with your opinion about him stuffing words in-between well produced tracks just to flex his verbosity, i did appreciate appreciate the fact that you obviously took the time to sit and listen to the entire project before giving this review. You definitely have a new subscriber either way. cheers.
Would be interesting to hear reviews of his older music or any side projects. Aesop Rock has been fine tuning his craft for decades, so theres plenty more of this.. I love it all. 👍 great job this was a suprising find on the web.
So.... you're the squirrel guy? You got that book in the background and tell really fascinating fables about them. Your spirit animal must be a squirrel 🐿️
I legit listened to this album on repeat for like a week, to answer one of your questions. I like that I pick new things up with each listen. It's like I'm always discovering something new, a deeper meaning I didn't get before. I enjoy that process of discovery. That's what's up.
I listen to his music all the time in every situation. At work, driving, hanging with people, anywhere and wherever. His music is great because it sounds good and you can vibe to it without giving it thought, and then if you want you can dive deep into it and it's so much fun discovering the meaning behind each line. Aesop's music has infinite replay value, and is some of the best rap I've ever heard. This album and "The Impossible Kid" especially I listen to a lot. Also, fun fact: Lupe Fiasco, a highly respected top level lyricist who is currently teaching at MIT about rap, says he hopes he can one day be HALF as good as Aesop Rock. Aesop is on another level frfr
I listen to aes daily while working in the kitchen. Albums at a time. I like that I can chew on it with the back of my brain while I do work with my hands. I can hold the lyrics in my thoughts as I pull them apart like an onion or a puzzle.
Thank you for the neat, and detailed in-depth review. In regards to some of the things that you might have misunderstood, or felt uncertain about how to interpret, might have been due to this being you first AR-album. For an example; the deadbolts and less-than-no-windows, reminds me of a Rob Sonic line on Dark Heart News: "If I had a dollar for every time I couldn't sleep I could buy a million locks and finally read a book in peace". AR is a known recluse, and i think a lot of lines of his is more easily understood through a holistic view of his albums, like in-jokes almost, i feel AR has created a whole linguistic world, in which each album recide, or derive from. And to this point, i feel SWFG might not be the right entry point, seeing that is intentionally very esoteric, and the subject matter is supposed to describe a world view divergent from the common world. I feel The Impossible Kid, is a far easier album to follow, and a better introduction to the wonderful world of Aesop Rock. As he put it himself he was very impressed by Kimya Dawson, in how direct and resonant her lyrics are, and coming off of their collab on The Uncluded, i feel TIK is like a skeleton-key to unlock many of his other albums, because TIK feels like less of a puzzle, but still i made out in a classic AR-style. The "Too-short" songs on this album, I feel is due to this development, but that's just me guessing. To your point that his songs holds like a superposition of Dumb and Deep, I personally felt that coming off of this album, this album and his works in general are like if a comic-strip was literally bleeding, you laugh but there's something much darker going on too. I definitely feel thinking this album is "just" about drugs, is selling him short. The interpretation of imagination feels much closer to home, and i would add that the Spirit World to also resembles inspiration, and creative spirit. I think he has said as much, at least about Side Quest. The spirit realm is something between an artist and the "real" world, it's omnipresent, but also a choice, an endeavor, with no set destination, but a journey to enjoy, from small beginnings to finished product. And Death is big part of art, and the creative process. But that is just my interpretation. Thanks again, hope to see more of these, and follow your journey into the wild wirly world of Aesop Rock Albums:)
This review... Is splendidly mansonian. (I wish I could see the reaction of people who figure out that reference in real time, but I might not live long enough for them to find their way to that genre.) Reviewer describes the feeling of being ridiculed for a an unmalicious honest verbosity... Misses the entire feeling of an album which covey's it's outcome with layers of humility. Did you not listen to the warning? Imagine what it feels like to be a real life goodwill hunting poet in a school that even rich kids can't buy their way into. In real life the people where you come from aren't nearly as supportive of your intelligent insights when the overwhelming reality is... At least we don't take ourselves to seriously down here. It builds character to say the least.
I don't know if you would do a review of a half a year old album but The Grouch has a new album named "What Would Love Do". Thanks for reviewing mystism in music
Y E S Aes has been doing this for decades; go back and listen to all his music (with lyrics on screen ofc ofc) and you'll learn a lot about the world and yourself (well, i did, anyhow). for you, i recommend the song Ruby '18. ^___^ one of my many favorites, i think you will appreciate! great vid! ty!
9:20 *Just the other day* I called my dog a lopey ass fucker. You know I was ostracized for my vocabulary. It was very alienating as a kid, and being autistic, this is how I think, it is the only way I know how to "talk normally".
The Impossible Kid is his most accessible album, in my opinion it would be a great one to review. It's very autobiographical, talking about his struggles with suicide, getting clean, moving from a New York to a barn in Oregon. It's his best work. It's the album I would reccomend to anyone interested in introspective complex technical hip hop.
I think this channel might be a new favorite. But now that you’ve done Aesop and realized he’s nothing to do with A$AP Mob, you should do some more. This album was waayyy more dense than some. Although all of his music is typically very dense. I think impossible kid is typically considered his least dense while still remaining true to his style. The most accessible album of his you could say. It also felt very complete to me if that makes sense. I’d love to hear your thoughts on more Aesop.
"So you heard alot of those words, and probably didn't pick any of them up unless you already know them." I giggled because I already know the words. Also as an Aesop fan, yeah you pretty much get the jist of the album. I personally think it's just an abstract take on the journey of life in general, as far as I understand it, it's not an allegory for "yay drugs". Also the line you brought up, "my dream home is like 10,000 dead bolts and less than no windows" is him saying he's a super shut in. Good video by the way!
Agree, this becomes so much more when you don't use the easy escape hatch of: "oh he's just talking about drug tripping... again." Wrestling with the meaning outside of that frame was very productive.
I did the same thing with the name. I like Atmosphere a lot and kept seeing Aseop Rock on related music and thought it was the same thing. Thanks to Pandora it just threw it on one day and I digged it.
You must explore Aesop's discography, it's beyond words. He's a troubled genius. It's way past being high... Songs about Pluto, otters, literally everything
Aesop tells some stories about drugs in his discography, but he never glorifies the experience. Listen to The Greatest PacMan Victory in History. On the surface, the song is about taking LSD and playing PacMan, but is actually about how abusing drugs chasing an experience ends up making everything feel tedious. That's my interpretation at least. Like any great artist, Aesop takes commitment to truly appreciate him. I recommend his whole catalogue starting with Labor Days
Great review as always! Would you ever consider doing a review of the new Shygirl EP called ALIAS? She's been getting super popular lately and I'm obsessed with her sound, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
As a fan, yes, I listen on repeat, no, it doesn't get tiring. To a first time listener, yeah, it's a daunting wall of words that feels hard to penetrate, or exhausting to unravel, but you're also picking up at the tail end of 20+ years of evolution in his music. The first time I listened to this album, I got a whole lot of it, lyrically, just by listening and taking in the imagery. When you're used to the way someone expresses himself, you get the point, even if a stranger can't understand a word he's saying...whether it's a drunk relative, a friend with a thick dialect, or a rapper with a very distinct style.
![GEEK TIMË [OFFICIAL AUDIO]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ry-6RvkH880/mqdefault.jpg)
"My dream house is dead bolts, and less than no windows" is rather literal; i.e. Aes would prefer to be locked in a windowless room, isolated from the world.
I was going to wait until I finished your video to respond, but halfway through, I got to this quote, so I'll say this:
I don't think Aesop uses his verbosity to show off. I think he does it because the words are what interests him, what have kept him going for 20+ years. This is a bit of an inversion of what you proffered, "what is interesting about his music is his lyrics," in that, as an artist, he himself, is interested in using words for their sound, their cadence, their syllabic quality. He is an abstract poet groping for meaning from a perspective of despair, anxiety, framed by an awkward longing for isolation.
Can it be overwhelming? Absolutely. But, are we really knocking a lyricist for using too many words?
If you want to slow down, head to Labor Days, or None Shall Pass.
Alright, I'll finish the video.
Spot on.
yup. well said.
juxie
Yeah, I'm surprised he didn't understand what that meant. Even not knowing Aesop's personality, it still seems obvious, at least to me.
Great commment
"Can you really listen to this album over and over again" ...yes. that's how you listen to aesop. I can listen to the same song 100 times and pick up something new on the 101st.
Thats what makes him so good, its way more relistinable when you are finding new things as if its your first listen, its almost like a really fun challenge at times, but i cam understand that it may not be for everyone.
I don't get bored listening to Aes...ever
For me, the long songs keep me coming back to decipher the meaning. The 'aha' moments can come after two days, months or years of listening. That amazes me.
word, I've been listening to Aesop for about seven years and I STILL come back and find myself realizing new information I had previously glossed over completely.
🐐
And since it is so dense... You can really get lost in the walk through the song.
You should do the none shall pass album, the skelethon album AND the impossible kid album.
Malibu Ken would be awesome too
Impossible Kid would be great. That’s an album that carries a lot of themes.
Agreed, agreed, and agreed.
Labor days and Bazooka tooth would be great as well
Labor Days, Skelethon, and Impossible Kid is his most essential listens. I'd also recommend checking out his collaborations with Rob Sonic under the Hail Mary Mallon name, specifically Bestiary, and his track on Bazooka Tooth with El-P.
Many of his singles are worth listening; top singles being Rogue Wave, Klutz, and None Shall Pass.
There's a lot to dig into this artist and as someone who's in their younger 20's, he's like listening to a older sibling or an uncle.
Professor Dude, that Fables/Funyuns moment at 13:50 perfectly encapsulates what Aesop Rock is all about.
exactly
Fr though
Sorry man, I have to disagree with you that Aesop’s flow isn’t good. Yeah he’s not Blackthought or anything. But his delivery is much more dynamic and interesting than the majority of the current rap landscape
Agreed, his flow really is something else for example on the 2nd verse of The Four Winds, impeccable
Aesop flow is excellent just different.
@Boof Lord The goose bumps I got for the first 6 months I'd listen to the cadence in the second half proves it was a successful one. The pacing around these lines -
"They'd talk of his adventuring and call him things like salty dog, he freed like a bajillion people from some secret haunted bog"
Yea i think his flow is incredible
@Boof Lord got a hot dogs tattoo so I'd have to think it was successful
He actually went to school for visual arts. The man is insanely talented in sketching, and a lot of his music videos contain his own artwork. I've always kind of had the opinion that that is one of the reasons he can describe his thought process with such vivid imagery, he just replaces his pen with his voice.
The mood of a lot of his drawings and other visual media are some of my favorites.
He used to work in art museum before he started rapping too
I didn't know that, thats really cool. That also makes sense with his opinion on a lot of artists and why people make art (i.e. his Impossible Kid mini show he did when he released that album where he talks to his psychologist bear in the woods)
Sadly he considers himself a failed visual artist. Like dude, you invented a new paintbrush
Your channel was made for Aesop Rock albums haha. Great review, loving the reviews. The Impossible Kid or Labor Days could also be a really interesting review
To answer your question, yes, i can listen to this album 3 times, every day, all week, i love the word density and appreciate the effort and love for his craft every time
"can you listen to his album over and over?" yes! I listened to SWFG for a month straight. The thing you may be missing about ace is it is overwhelming the first couple of listens because it's so foreign. It becomes more and more comfortable as you take in the meanings. I love it.
Same, thats what keeps someone coming back to aesop rock. Is really listening and deciphering his work
One of the best comments on here!
Interesting to hear such an in depth review of this album from someone that isn't familiar with aes. To answer your question about the drugs/psychedelic aspect - aes has said he doesn't really do much aside from smoking weed.
thanks for the answers
Pizza Alley is about taking ayahuasca in Peru!... He is NOT straight edge, but none of his songs glorify gratuitous drug use, however, he does reference all kinds of drugs in his songs. "Drugs & fucking is part of growing up" AR.
He definitely did a lot of LSD in his early years, so he's experienced.
The greatest pac-man victory in history def glorifies lsd
There's definitely a lot of stuff about addiction to pills, like ketamine and such. I recall a line about him spending summer puking pills behind the dumpster, and being the biggest pez dispenser.
He does have a few songs about drugs, but it's never glorification, or the like.
In that song with the line I paraphrased, he most certainly isn't bragging about it xD
every year or so i go through a period where the only artist i can listen to is aes for like a couple months. i’ll go through his whole discography multiple times and constantly find new things and really try to listen to other artists but it just doesn’t scratch that same itch. no one is like aes
fr. Eyedea is the only other artist I can put on the same level as him
Kodokushi is a recurring theme in a lot of Aes’s work. Dorks on The Impossible Kid he has a line where he questions “will the neighbors smell my corpse before the cat eat my face?”
"I used to floss the albatross like Daddy Kane with the chain"
Aesop Rock is the best abstract writer I've ever read. It's just so interesting for me personally. think hard to get anything out of his music that is. Even though it's an exhausting experience. I mean, he meant it to be like that as he said. He want people to give so much energy and time to wrap there heads around his lyrics.
Who knows how far down the rabbit hole I've fallen since 2002 when I first found this artist.
Listening to Aesop Rock is as (un)comfortable as looking in the mirror. On repeat, every week.
OK this is got to be one of the best comments on here!
Then there is the fourth level. This is where you know the lyrics and can recite entire songs from memory. Once you reach this level Aesop invades and inhabits your body and mind in his spirit form.
I would like to know more about this 4th level.
This is a good place to be. Words flowing like water downstream over the edge of a waterfall when they drop. This is the imagery I get with the lyricism. Our man Ian is dope!
He's my favorite rapper, I listen to them all the time. I don't think I can rap the words to one of of his songs. I haven't listened to Eminem much in years and can still recite a ton of his songs exactly. This is one of the more impressive things about Aesop to me, I try, but can't remember his lyrics, that's how complex they are.
You would probably enjoy like Aesop Rock's album "impossible kid". Also the song TV on 10 he did as part of the uncluded is great at painting an evolving scene.
Tv on 10 is one of my favourite uncluded songs. Jambi Cafe is second
Shoutout to Organs. Become a donor today!
Jambi Cafe....daredevil skater
TV on 10....abt his friend Jeremy's Fish's mom
He actually isnt just the "hip hop artist with the most unique words" hes the artist with the most unique words in any genre which was also com po ared to historical artists and works such as Shakespeare and the bible....pretty amazing for a "rapper"
I love Aseop because he gives you so much content that you'll be unpacking it for years. It's cool to have something that you've been listening to for years and still are able to take away something new everytime. I wouldn't want every artist to be like that but I definitely appreciate it from Aseop.
Idk if you take suggestions here but if I could put one in, Drogas Wave by Lupe Fiasco is a great album and I enjoyed your breakdown of House by him 👍
Dead bolts and less than no windows talks about his isolation and his introverted and depressive state. Like on malibu ken. "I don't even like horses, I like wild orchards and neighbors with wide orbits." He likes to be isolated and this album was his way of getting out of his shell. Note. The impossible kid.
Btw from San Diego and have sciatica after a bad accident (along with ptsd and insomnia) anyways thought it was interesting haha
Pets that pretty much ignore us
We headbut in the morning and report to separate corners.
Classic
I talk like it hurts to talk, mascot of Murphy's law
From the claw game at the Walt Whitman mall
To the worst curb cuts of the urban sprawl
To what stirs in the purple moss, which world
Make a perp less scurred of his quirks and flaws
Or make it okay to learn how you are, no jury
Instead of all insecurity, no mercy
"Never you mind the moth eggs
I'm warm and the TV is on always"
For me, this is a reference to the state of his home. Saying, don't mind the dirt and decay. I'm fine. I keep warm.
As for the TV being on always...
This, I think, is reference to the state of society being hypnotized by mainstream media. I almost imagine a person hold up in a blanket staring blankly at a fuzzy television in the dark.
Aes is an incredible artist.
I think the TV always on is also a sort of "don't worry we ain't starvin"
Rundown but the lights are on
about your TV comment:
“Television, all hail grand pixelated god of fantasy, murder scape and perspective
fuck a sore channel changed digit
I sit with a nasty network intervenes plan with a stable diet of my cable pirate”
from his track Basic Cable. i think you're pretty spot on.
Super interesting review; had to subscribe as soon as you referenced clipping. as well, great group!
Also Aesop has a song with busdriver called Ego Death
That absolutely slaps.
Good track.
I'm convinced there'd be no Busdriver without Aesop Rock.
I think the coolest thing about dissecting aesops lyrics is that you could go in so many directions the simple act of trying to understand forces you to create. its awesome, my favorite rapper since '99! Good review, P.
I love that you reviewed this! I’ve loved Aesop since the late 90’s and he just keeps doing it and doing it and doing it well. But many ppl don’t go in depth enough when the review him. Nice job.
Busdriver has a fantastic flow, though as his fan I'm happy to hear him name-dropped.
After watching, I'm glad that you got so much appreciation for Aes' style without knowing much about his background. He's been making music for like 30+ years. With lots of other big names in the underground scene. Check out some of his work with El-P. I'd also strongly recommend looking at The Impossible Kid for more accessible lyrics along with the token fantastic production. Malibu Ken with TOBACCO is amazing if you like synths, and the Hail Mary Mallon albums with Rob Sonic are just an intricately woven maze of cryptic words and themes.
Definitely one of my favorite albums by Aesop. All the things you complained about are the reasons why I loved the album. Its so dense and lyrical that you can come back to the album for years and never get sick of it. If you're looking to listen to an album that is more conventional this is not the album for you. This is more for people who like to study the wordplay. Its like solving a puzzle in that you can individually understand small portions of the lyrics but it takes time to put them all together. Once they all fall into place the picture is revealed and you're able to finally visualize what Aesop is trying to say. That's what keeps us coming back.
I've been listening to Aesop over and over for about 20 years and no, I never get tired.
Can you listen to this album on repeat?
Hell yeah I can bröther!
Ive listened to it constantly since it dropped haha
I appreciate you taking time to listen to Aesop. His work is very dense. Ive listened to him since Float and still to this day Im discovering new takes and catching verses that went over my head. I enjoy his cryptic style. His latest album Garbology, although still his patented style is "easier" to digest first listen.
I love the metaphorical breakdowns you do. Subscribed. Been an Aes fan since I first heard him in 2001 and look forward to future takes on his material.
Oh and requesting Gojira's From Mars to Sirius
'never mind the moth eggs; i'm warm and the t.v. is on, always.'
=
'worry not that my coat sees so little air the moths have laid their eggs within it's folds; for my abode is warm and the company of my television is ceaseless.'
also
'fables and funyons' is now my chosen colloquialism for 'dungeons and dragons'.
Fantastic review.Thanks for putting in the effort. You just got a new sub.
Really enjoyed this! Always super fascinating to listen to people break down aesop rocks stuff. Keep up the good work!
great review! and to answer your question, aesop only smokes weed now and then, doesn't drink, and said he's done mushrooms twice in the past 20 years. though the song pizza alley describes his ayahuasca experience in peru
he said he didn’t do any drugs to inspire this album. i get the sense that he was inspired by the culture and mythology of the Peruvian people rather than having actually taken ayahuasca there
@@mpchead621 "screen door pimpled with frogs and lizards, when high as hell they may as well be mothras and godzillas"
@@chicNstu702 there were a few references to being high and also ayahuasca. he might have been smoking weed out there but i don't think he did ayahuasca. his response to the question "how many psychedelic trips inspired this album", was "0.0..". but many lines in that song would lead you to believe he did. i was definitely convinced of it until i heard his response. having been to peru and the amazon though, its an incredibly trippy place even without ingesting the actual entheogens. its like they're in the air without you having to take them.
@@mpchead621 that's a good point. Aes is trippy enough sober, no enhancements needed
Seriously? He was on benzo for years.. as someone who was on xannax as well as everything else.. thats as hard core a drug and drug habit there is.. just getting out alive is amazing
Great review, was looking forward to it.
Aes in his 40’s, he’s not a drug guy, smokes weed I think, but he’s said the album wasn’t influenced by psychedelics. DJ Zone does the scratching. He raps much more pronounced and in the pocket/on beat on his last 2-3 projects. I’d be interested in what you thought of his albums from nearly 20 years ago like Float, labor Days or Bazooka Tooth.
I agree labor and float woukd be right up his alley. Much more difficult as well.
thanks for the explanations
Where'd he say it wasn't influenced by psychedelics? On his insta story he said he didn't write any of it while on psychedelics, but it's clearly thematically inspired in part by psychedelics and Pizza Alley is full of direct references to a him doing ayahuascua in Peru
@@richweber7118 he said he didn't write while tripping on his stories
@@d0onut Yeah, that's what I said. There's a difference between writing while under the influence of psychedelics and being inspired by a psychedelic trip or even psychedelic culture in general, though
Aesop rock as an artist that has layers like an onion.... I’ve spent the last 25 years listening to his work and learn a new line or connection each play through.. he is as deep as your willing to dive
I genuinely wish I was there to discuss this album with you because there are so many points I agree with and disagree with but all of them are great points. The video is too long sadly for me to really hash out every point in a youtube comment section so I'll try to stick with an overview. I can agree with the 3 levels of listening but I personally can listen to him anywhere at anytime just for his flow and beats. I work at a golf course and on the day it dropped I put the album on repeat for about 5 hours while I maintained bunkers. I love listening to Aes for various reasons, one of which is his ability to create songs that you can just listen to without trying to peel through the layers, but those layers are there for when you're ready to do a deep dive. I love his ability to write serious songs about social commentary or just general anxiety or being severely depressed. One of my favorite songs by him is Get Out the Car and my favorite line from that is "Hounds at bay but they just won't stay" and that's genuinely how I feel. I considered suicide at the age of 4 due to sexual and mental/physical abuse and while it's never something I'll do I still have to deal with that severe depression and it's like I'm constantly holding the dogs at bay. Whether he meant it like that or not doesn't matter to me, it's how it resonated. But I also love how he's able to write silly songs about the same topic, or even completely different topics. The very next track on the very same album as Get Out The Car is Kirby, a song about a cat his therapist suggested he get just doing cute cat things like messing about in a hamper. I personally think he writes the songs he wants to write using words he wants to use not to be pretentious or snobby, but because he just likes how they sound and he enjoys seeing how they fit together. There's so much more I want to talk about but it would require way more comments and I've written enough LOL
P.S I'll check out that album you suggested in the video, I loved the video and subscribed I'll be excited to hear more of your thoughts. If you ever do another Aes album I would recommend The Impossible Kid
Bro you are killing it. Very honest Aes review. I appreciate you. Following. 🔥
Great vid. Great artist. Great love/hate relationship with funions. The callbacks to "garbage food" had me in stitches. Very smart analysis of my favorite hip hop artist. Well done. Subscribed!
12:40
No, been listening for years and he's 70% of what I listen to even still.
I love the thoughts and ideas, and metaphors within metaphors. It sparks joy
I wonder if your feelings on the album as an overall concept would adapt any if you listened to his preceding album "The Impossible Kid"? I think that SWFG was partially made in the context of the prior work, as it generally details the pit fall and dark times of his life and his climb from that to contentedness and rebuilding (among so many other things, it is an Aesop Rock album).
RUclips recommendations brought me back! This review and the Open Mike Eagle review were both interesting because I got to hear your fresh take on two artists who have such rich expressions and catalogues of work. Despite not being familiar with their past works, you were still able to decipher some of the more obscure references and complex productions both artists put out.
Looking forward to more reviews!
Wow. Thanks. I appreciate you and your time.
This is the best review of this record I've heard.
You have to actively listen to get it.
After that, you can start to listen to it less actively. You eventually get to the point you have a vocabulary experience. You can start get get into other albums. His lyrics are an HD experience, and don't go stale. I still get or rediscover stuff from None Shall Pass.
It's an absolutely wonderful album, he's highly intelligent. I'm 45 years old and I still love good rap.... hes a step beyond
I thoroughly enjoyed this for how well you did as far as an aesop album review you get an A- that is the highest grade I've given for an aesop album review the only way to get an A+is to go line by line and don't miss anything....this is as good a album review as I've seen
This is quality content my guy. I subscribed to your channel in the hope that you review more Aesop Rock albums.
really like your analysis style and the lighthearted knowledgeableness vibe. made some well pointed critiques where due that i would have been inclined to just gloss over, guess being a professor lets you do that. cheers, i am now a new subscriber
"Can you really listen to this album on repeat, over and over again"??
Yes.
Yes we can.
For months.
One of my favorite reviews!! The first one where the breakdown blew my mind as much as the album.❤ really well done!
Please, in your spare time, if you have a moment, check out his album, Float. A great picture into the forming of his lyricism
I like your take on him ending verses with one simple word and using onomatopoeia to be more relatable and break up his verbosity. I thought on The Gates, for example, that he was saying "I mean, dude!" and phrases like that almost in a joking way like, "I know your following all of this."
Each time I listen to Aesop I discover something new and I think that's the appeal.
Aesop Rock fan here! Been a fan since 2004 and he has so many albums, his first in 1997. It is a wildly different Aesop than we see in his newer albums, he has evolved with the times so well.
Please please please watch him with Kimya Dawson in The Uncluded. They have a beautifully ugly harmony? There is totally some content there for you haha
And no it's not a drugs album lol!
It's Aesop! Watch his song Shrunk, 1 of 4(this is an important one), Cycles to Gehenna(you will have a field day with this one), Kirby and Long Leg Larry(you will like these, too cute!).
None Shall Pass, his super hit after Daylight... Both bangers you should do! Or anything off both those albums haha
Oh and you said he was trying to "Keep his highest vocabulary" but honestly who is close? 1997-2021 with new music almost every year... Dude is the most inspirational depressed guy ever. ❤️
It's requested because he is underrated and we don't know why because he's on a different level. That's the basis. It's been that way since the 90s. "AWOL Spaceman" is fitting.
Almost a year, that's how long it took me to finally get into this album and that is me as a long time fan of his music. There was definitely some personal issues getting in the way but regardless then one day a few months after a job change. I was doing a mindless job at work and I put the album on from track one to finish and it just clicked and it went from being one I wasn't too sure on to one of my personal favorites of his career. It even inspired a tattoo that I'll be getting in the near-ish future. Absolutely love this album!
This is by far my favorite Aesop project! The reason for that, isnt rap at all. I believe Aesop truly just showed us Aesop. But he gave a message at the very beginning if anyone cares to listen. What you take from it will be exclusively for you. It can only be a reflection of you. There is no order but the order you assign. He mentions all of that as I said. If you have a linear mind, clearly you do Skye, you perceive it linearly. He explains this as well. He also explains the levels are infinite. I honestly dont believe many people will see to the core of this, because they will not see past their own perception of the events they are perceiving. Which is also discussed. But its not referencing the spirit world just because it is. However, self reflection and having a reflective mind state is such a rarity these days. I cherish this project as the risk Aesop takes here is immense. The vulnerability you have to have putting this out is wild, you only briefly touched on that with your story of high school. Also your insecurity at being an intelligent person. Funny world we live isnt it? What we do to intelligence to regulate our own emotions. Very thorough review and I am grateful to get to know you better!! I def come for the thick loquaciousness of your breakdowns!! They are fantastic and truly what I believe to at the heart of music critiquing!!
Aesop spent some time in isolation, living in a barn in a forest. It's my understanding that SWFG is his reentry to society. The Spirit World is the real world.
If you're curious about that isolation, it resulted in The Impossible Kid.
Also, The Impossible Kid is an easy album to digest. I love it.
“My ideal house is deadbolts
And less than no windows” has a pretty clear, concrete meaning to me. Deadbolts- his ideal house is secure. And “less than no windows-“ in his ideal house he doesn’t feel exposed the way you do when you walk by a window in your home that’s open (blinds drawn) to the street (at least you do if you’re a bit neurotic like me). He’s painting a perfect picture of the introverted & anxious drive to isolate.
Also I don’t get the hostility towards psychedelics. Psychedelics & imagination go hand in hand- they’re two sides of the same coin. Psychedelics essentially bring the deep subconscious imagination to manifestation around & within you. This can be extremely profound, inspiring, etc., and if those experiences inspired this incredible art then I can’t comprehend why someone would think that devalues it in some way... The psychedelic experience has been a part of the human experience for millennia, practically since we’ve been intelligent beings. Reconcile with it. It doesn’t have to be for you, but it’s not something shallow or phony or over-valued or something... Both in terms of the profundity of the states they can induce & in terms of the therapeutic value many of them have been scientifically proven to have for anything from PTSD to death anxiety to alcoholism & opioid addiction (depending on which ones we’re talking about)... I just don’t understand why someone would so desperately want not to believe psychedelics were an influence here. If they were then they seem to have been a good one based on the way it came out... But yeah, what psychedelics do is centered around your imagination & your sensory experience of it... It’s not like “sober imagination valuable & authentic. Tripping imagination not valuable or authentic.”
As a fellow Outlander, I will say that Ian (Aes) is a person who wants to belong but never has. He was probably smarter than most or all of his friends. He was also too rebellious and intelligent for regular school and a "normal" career. Combine this with mental issues like anti-social disorder or social anxiety. Add some interest in drugs, spurred by peers, mixed with natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge, eventually leading to psychedelic drug use. Most of his lyrics are metaphoric and/or hyperbolic. This comes from always feeling like you have to translate your thoughts for consumption. This results in the best hip-hop artist of all time and a poet of the era, whose value may not be realized until some distant future when humans have evolved to more easily understand each other.
Sorry if that was a little jumbled. Hopefully it helps. Peace.
P.S. also He has recently fled the city life for more rural life, hence all the references to wildlife and so on. Almost sure he has no children, being in his 40s this is cause for existential dilemmas. His "normy" vocab use is probably dual use for fun/humor and also to give that look of "I am still like some of y'all" to his music. Much love
Little late, but the way to listen to this album is stoned many, many times.
The "too longs" are life savers, without a shadow of a doubt.
White holes in a multitude of universe of dilemma.
Aesop has been in the underground for 30+ years at this point other artists remind you of him, not the other way around. He is like Captain Beefheart, you can't start with Trout Mask Replica, you need Safe as Milk to ease you in.
i stuck around for the whole video and i really wish i didn't. i really appreciate your obvious intelligence and the articulate synopsis of this album. It just sucks that this album was your introduction to his music. I'd love to hear an honest breakdown from you of some of his other albums like "Float" or "The Impossible Kid" or "Skelethon" or even just individual songs like: None Shall Pass, Daylight, Garbage, Commencement at the Obedience Academy, No City, Cycles of Gehenna. Either way, even though i didn't agree with your opinion about him stuffing words in-between well produced tracks just to flex his verbosity, i did appreciate appreciate the fact that you obviously took the time to sit and listen to the entire project before giving this review. You definitely have a new subscriber either way. cheers.
Would be interesting to hear reviews of his older music or any side projects.
Aesop Rock has been fine tuning his craft for decades, so theres plenty more of this.. I love it all.
👍 great job this was a suprising find on the web.
So.... you're the squirrel guy? You got that book in the background and tell really fascinating fables about them. Your spirit animal must be a squirrel 🐿️
I legit listened to this album on repeat for like a week, to answer one of your questions. I like that I pick new things up with each listen. It's like I'm always discovering something new, a deeper meaning I didn't get before. I enjoy that process of discovery. That's what's up.
Aesop Rock is an art legend. I'm really enjoying this new lofi hip-hop artist who goes by Iron Gallery. Check out his new Dope Shroud EP.
I listen to his music all the time in every situation. At work, driving, hanging with people, anywhere and wherever. His music is great because it sounds good and you can vibe to it without giving it thought, and then if you want you can dive deep into it and it's so much fun discovering the meaning behind each line. Aesop's music has infinite replay value, and is some of the best rap I've ever heard. This album and "The Impossible Kid" especially I listen to a lot. Also, fun fact: Lupe Fiasco, a highly respected top level lyricist who is currently teaching at MIT about rap, says he hopes he can one day be HALF as good as Aesop Rock. Aesop is on another level frfr
Less than no windows is a reference to comfort in isolation in a strange place
@ 32:08 you called him "ASAP Rocky." Good review though.
Aesop fan here. I've had this album on repeate since it came out haha my fiance pokes fun at my RUclips watch history
I listen to aes daily while working in the kitchen. Albums at a time. I like that I can chew on it with the back of my brain while I do work with my hands. I can hold the lyrics in my thoughts as I pull them apart like an onion or a puzzle.
Review more Aesop album!
After watching this I'd love to hear your opinion of Atmosphere. Very cool video!
Thank you for the neat, and detailed in-depth review. In regards to some of the things that you might have misunderstood, or felt uncertain about how to interpret, might have been due to this being you first AR-album. For an example; the deadbolts and less-than-no-windows, reminds me of a Rob Sonic line on Dark Heart News: "If I had a dollar for every time I couldn't sleep
I could buy a million locks and finally read a book in peace". AR is a known recluse, and i think a lot of lines of his is more easily understood through a holistic view of his albums, like in-jokes almost, i feel AR has created a whole linguistic world, in which each album recide, or derive from. And to this point, i feel SWFG might not be the right entry point, seeing that is intentionally very esoteric, and the subject matter is supposed to describe a world view divergent from the common world. I feel The Impossible Kid, is a far easier album to follow, and a better introduction to the wonderful world of Aesop Rock. As he put it himself he was very impressed by Kimya Dawson, in how direct and resonant her lyrics are, and coming off of their collab on The Uncluded, i feel TIK is like a skeleton-key to unlock many of his other albums, because TIK feels like less of a puzzle, but still i made out in a classic AR-style. The "Too-short" songs on this album, I feel is due to this development, but that's just me guessing.
To your point that his songs holds like a superposition of Dumb and Deep, I personally felt that coming off of this album, this album and his works in general are like if a comic-strip was literally bleeding, you laugh but there's something much darker going on too.
I definitely feel thinking this album is "just" about drugs, is selling him short. The interpretation of imagination feels much closer to home, and i would add that the Spirit World to also resembles inspiration, and creative spirit. I think he has said as much, at least about Side Quest. The spirit realm is something between an artist and the "real" world, it's omnipresent, but also a choice, an endeavor, with no set destination, but a journey to enjoy, from small beginnings to finished product. And Death is big part of art, and the creative process. But that is just my interpretation.
Thanks again,
hope to see more of these, and follow your journey into the wild wirly world of Aesop Rock Albums:)
This review... Is splendidly mansonian.
(I wish I could see the reaction of people who figure out that reference in real time, but I might not live long enough for them to find their way to that genre.)
Reviewer describes the feeling of being ridiculed for a an unmalicious honest verbosity... Misses the entire feeling of an album which covey's it's outcome with layers of humility. Did you not listen to the warning?
Imagine what it feels like to be a real life goodwill hunting poet in a school that even rich kids can't buy their way into. In real life the people where you come from aren't nearly as supportive of your intelligent insights when the overwhelming reality is... At least we don't take ourselves to seriously down here.
It builds character to say the least.
Great review!
I don't know if you would do a review of a half a year old album but The Grouch has a new album named "What Would Love Do". Thanks for reviewing mystism in music
Y E S
Aes has been doing this for decades; go back and listen to all his music (with lyrics on screen ofc ofc) and you'll learn a lot about the world and yourself (well, i did, anyhow).
for you, i recommend the song Ruby '18. ^___^ one of my many favorites, i think you will appreciate!
great vid! ty!
How does such a well thought out and well done review have such few views?
Fables and funions. Also the Marsha Marsha Marsha in the background is amazing glad I found this video
Fables & Funyuns sounds like a sick album
9:20 *Just the other day* I called my dog a lopey ass fucker.
You know I was ostracized for my vocabulary. It was very alienating as a kid, and being autistic, this is how I think, it is the only way I know how to "talk normally".
Tres bien monsieur! Merci! Bienvenue au Aesop. Bon voyage!
The Impossible Kid is his most accessible album, in my opinion it would be a great one to review. It's very autobiographical, talking about his struggles with suicide, getting clean, moving from a New York to a barn in Oregon. It's his best work. It's the album I would reccomend to anyone interested in introspective complex technical hip hop.
I think this channel might be a new favorite. But now that you’ve done Aesop and realized he’s nothing to do with A$AP Mob, you should do some more. This album was waayyy more dense than some. Although all of his music is typically very dense. I think impossible kid is typically considered his least dense while still remaining true to his style. The most accessible album of his you could say. It also felt very complete to me if that makes sense. I’d love to hear your thoughts on more Aesop.
Have you unpacked anything by Billy Woods Professor?
"So you heard alot of those words, and probably didn't pick any of them up unless you already know them." I giggled because I already know the words. Also as an Aesop fan, yeah you pretty much get the jist of the album. I personally think it's just an abstract take on the journey of life in general, as far as I understand it, it's not an allegory for "yay drugs". Also the line you brought up, "my dream home is like 10,000 dead bolts and less than no windows" is him saying he's a super shut in. Good video by the way!
Agree, this becomes so much more when you don't use the easy escape hatch of: "oh he's just talking about drug tripping... again." Wrestling with the meaning outside of that frame was very productive.
Fables and Funyuns, Aesop’s next album.
Is it bad that I want more already?
Gotta listen to Green Funyuns by Wrekonize.
I could see his project Lice doing an EP called that
I did the same thing with the name. I like Atmosphere a lot and kept seeing Aseop Rock on related music and thought it was the same thing. Thanks to Pandora it just threw it on one day and I digged it.
I like this channel and the reviews... I think it would be interesting to see the artists review his reviews though... Just a thought
I'd love that. Sometimes an artist will leave a comment, which is a pretty big deal.
You must explore Aesop's discography, it's beyond words. He's a troubled genius. It's way past being high... Songs about Pluto, otters, literally everything
Aesop tells some stories about drugs in his discography, but he never glorifies the experience. Listen to The Greatest PacMan Victory in History. On the surface, the song is about taking LSD and playing PacMan, but is actually about how abusing drugs chasing an experience ends up making everything feel tedious. That's my interpretation at least.
Like any great artist, Aesop takes commitment to truly appreciate him. I recommend his whole catalogue starting with Labor Days
Great review as always! Would you ever consider doing a review of the new Shygirl EP called ALIAS? She's been getting super popular lately and I'm obsessed with her sound, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
As a fan, yes, I listen on repeat, no, it doesn't get tiring. To a first time listener, yeah, it's a daunting wall of words that feels hard to penetrate, or exhausting to unravel, but you're also picking up at the tail end of 20+ years of evolution in his music. The first time I listened to this album, I got a whole lot of it, lyrically, just by listening and taking in the imagery. When you're used to the way someone expresses himself, you get the point, even if a stranger can't understand a word he's saying...whether it's a drunk relative, a friend with a thick dialect, or a rapper with a very distinct style.
All Aesop and Busdriver collabs are amazing