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New Release: Aesop Rock “Skelethon”
Kanye West is dating Kim Kardashian, a piece of news that you, in all probability, don’t give a rat’s ass about. I mention it, however, because it is an indice of where mainstream, cable-TV, celebrity driven hip-hop is at these days. Moreover, it is exactly the sort of empty news that Aesop Rock excoriates in his new album, Skelethon.
The sixth solo album from San Francisco based hip-hop artist and producer Aesop Rock (his first in five years) is no great departure from the defining flow of rhythm and rhyme, lyrics and loose melodies that has served him so well in the past. But in a world where it seems as if the state, the nation, and the world is crumbling under its own excesses—much like hip-hop does when you only see it through the lens of MTV—Aesop Rock’s unrelenting beats pound out in contrast, like the words of an Old Testament prophet.
Aptly named, Skelethon is an album that is both lyrically and musically dedicated to exposing the bones of culture. Aesop Rock is himself aptly named. Like the ancient Greek storyteller, Aesop Rock speaks in parables and fables. His raps have been called excessive but it is precisely this excess of words that make Aesop Rock a master of his art. After all, rap is (or should be) nothing if not excessively verbose.
While it is true that it is difficult, sometimes even impossible, to hear what Aesop is saying, the music on this album is more than just the words’ literal meaning. Each track flows seamlessly together, creating a kind of storied experience for the listener. But what is the story that Aesop is telling us? With lines like “taking the name of the father in vain,” “glowing mud between us,” or “flickered like a hallow bomb over Samhain” we get the impression what he’s saying is massively important to the way we think and feel, even if understanding is beyond us on the first hearing.
Musically, the album shifts between the traditional rap basslines and an ambient electronic vibes. The effect of this both startling and familiar at the same time. Aesop Rock is not afraid to deviate from rap’s form and formula. As illustrated by the fact that half-way through, this flow of rhyme is interrputed by Kimya Dawson’s voice crooning such strange thoughts “and if your shit is scattered at the roots of the tree, I will climb that tree.” The resulting mix is an album that demands to be listened to again and again.
Lucky for you, you can now stream this explosion of language over at HipHopDX.