The second full-length release from El-Pâs Def Jux imprint comes from indy hero Aesop Rock. He has made a name for himself after releasing 3 albums on his own, the latest of which, âFloat,â made a big splash. Aesop defines the category of super-intelligent abstract lyricist, much like fellow white emcee, Slug of Atmosphere. Aesopâs influences are not hard to pinpoint, while his voice might sound like a mix between Thirstin Howl III and Roc of Heltah Skeltah, his style and delivery is a combination of Aceyalone and El-P. Despite these influences he has a style that is unmistakebly his own. Lyrically, the average head will need a translator to figure out what he is saying. His rhymes get so abstract that he makes Q-Tip unworthy of the moniker. It will take multiple listens to decipher half of the rhymes and multiple listens to realize that you canât decipher the other half. Much like the aforementioned Slug, Aesopâs rhymes are incredibly personal and I donât think the audience is always meant to understand.
Despite being under his label, Aesop does not employ any El-P instrumentals. I really think that this combination would have produced mind-boggling results. Nonetheless, Aesop stuck with Blockhead and I certainly donât have a problem with that. Without being repetitive, âLabor Daysâ maintains a consistent and cohesive sound throughout the entire LP. The tracks are layered with haunting strings, horns and deliberate drums. The dope opening track, âLabor Daysâ sets the tone both lyrically and sonically. If this song doesnât win you over then you probably wonât dig this album. That is hard to imaging though as there is no shortage of incredible tracks on this 14 song LP. âDaylight,â âSave Yourself,â âFlashfloodâ and âBatteryâ all epitomize how good Aesop Rockâs music is. Essentially, the entire LP is a trip through Aesopâs mind. While most will find themselves lost in a labrynth the majority of the time, there are two instances where Aesopâs thoughts are crystal clear. â9 To 5ers Anthemâ is a funky track expressing his views of a 9 to 5 day job. The chorus says it all, âWe the American working population hate the fact that 8 hours a day is wasted on chasing the dreams of someone who isnât us/we may not hate our jobs but we hate jobs in general that donât have to do with fighting our own causes.â Still, it pales in comparison to the message he delivers on my favorite track, âNo Regrets.â By telling the inspirational story of âLucy,â Aesop is really telling listeners how he is living his dreams through music. Over beautifully looped piano keys, he says âlook Iâve never had a dream in my life/because a dream is what you want to do and still havenât pursued/I knew what I wanted and did it âtil is was done/so Iâve been the dream I wanted to be since day one.â
Anticon and CoFlow heads will be won over in a heartbeat but the average listener wonât be so easy to please. âLabor Daysâ is not your run of the mill hip hop album and in turn is not the most accessible album. But an album with 14 dope songs is an all too rare occurance in music today. Regardless of who this album appeals to, or doesnât appeal to, it is one of the best albums of 2001.