Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
Sunday, September 23rd, 2007
Throughout his decade-plus career, Aesop Rock has always seemed to be a man who followed his own muse. Even when he essentially became the Def Jux label’s flagship MC a few years back, he still retained a very distinct identity, never really feeling like a mere appendage of the label, unlike, say, El-P or Cannibal Ox. Most telling of his iconoclasm, perhaps, was his 2003 release, “Bazooka Tooth.” After the very positive response to 2001’s “Labor Days,” Aesop decided to produce most of his next album himself, ending his two-album run with producer Blockhead, and ended up with one of the least accessible (though quite interesting) rap albums this side of cLOUDDEAD. If “Labor Days” had attracted a following, “Bazooka Tooth” almost seemed like an attempt to shed those new fans.
In light of this history, “None Shall Pass” is quite a surprise in its immediacy. Blockhead returns to the production seat in a big way, helming half of the album’s 14 tracks (five of the
Even if nothing has changed in his words, “None Shall Pass” contains some of the best songs Aesop has ever made. The title track, “Bring Back Pluto,” and “No City,” all of which were produced by Blockhead, are fantastic and stand with some of Aesop’s all-time greatest songs. El-P shows up for two songs, “39 Thieves” and “Gun for the Whole Family,” the latter of which he produced, and their collaborations are as satisfying as they always are. The album’s best song, though, is “The Harbor is Yours,” a pirate tale (who doesn’t love pirates?) featuring Aesop Rock’s clearest storytelling lyrics since “Labor Days’” “No Regrets,” a great stuttering vocal line and a deliciously funky beat from Blockhead. Also of note is the final track, “Coffee,” which features, oddly enough, John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. Best of all, unlike many hip-hop albums, the momentum is kept up throughout the album and the last half doesn’t drag much.
Despite the strong track list, somehow “None Shall Pass” feels like it lacks cohesion. While “Labor Days” (perhaps because it was a concept album) and his pre-Def Jux albums all felt like unified wholes, “None Shall Pass” feels more like a slightly unfocused collection of tracks, albeit very good ones. This, admittedly, is something of a minor gripe and is only really apparent if you’re familiar with Aesop’s earlier work. Even if you are, though, it’s hard to argue with the quality of the songs here, especially after the relative disappointments of “Bazooka Tooth” and the “Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives” EP, released in 2005. All in all, “None Shall Pass” feels like both a return to form and a consolidation of Aesop Rock’s (and Blockhead’s) strengths. And if it feels a little thrown together, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s one of the best albums of Aesop’s career and certainly one of the best hip-hop albums to come out this year.
Grade: A-
-Ben Stevens
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