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Aesop Rock has built his career on his\u00a0massive vocabulary, abstract wordplay, and a talent for taking the mundane and making it sound deep and complex.\u00a0Over the years, he\u2019s experimented with his style and became more hands-on with his production. He\u00a0jumped\u00a0into projects with unlikely collaborators like Kimya Dawson and John Darnielle (of The Mountain Goats).\u00a0He gets more and more personal with his writing as he goes. His newest album, The Impossible Kid<\/i>, finds one of the most unique independent rappers for the past two decades coming to terms in a new way with the fact that he’s been one of the most unique independent rappers for the past two decades.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aesop takes on an entirely new perspective with this album, delivering his most grounded and personal album to date.\u00a0 <\/span>An \u201cLotta Years\u201d<\/em> he speaks about observing young people with bad neck tattoos and removable dreadlocks.\u00a0He questions\u00a0his place in the future,\u00a0in relation to a generation whose ideas of art and rap music are entirely different from his when he started out.\u00a0 <\/span>A few songs later on \u201cBlood Sandwich\u201d<\/em> he addresses two stories, one about each of his two brothers.\u00a0 <\/span>In the first, he recounts a little league game that gets derailed by a burrowing rodent.\u00a0<\/span>The second is about his religious mother refusing to let his older brother attend a Ministry concert because she detects satanic influences.\u00a0In classic Aesop style, the connection between these stories, and the insinuation\u00a0that Aesop hasn\u2019t spoken to his older brother for a while, isn\u2019t initially clear.\u00a0Jedoch,<\/span>\u00a0by painting these little vignettes, he\u2019s really trying to put forward a clearer idea of where he came from and how that affected who he is now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShrunk\u201d<\/em> details a psychiatric visit.\u00a0<\/em><\/span>\u201cDorks\u201d<\/em> is a shrugging acceptance of Aesop\u2019s outsider status.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u201cKirby\u201d<\/em> tells the story of his recent decision to get a kitten at the suggestion of his psychiatrist.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u201cRings\u201d<\/em> laments the fact that he doesn\u2019t do much drawing anymore.\u00a0 <\/span>He raps that it\u2019s \u201chard to admit that I used to draw.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>These moments describe an Aesop Rock who, at some level, is actively trying to pull down the walls that previously existed between his life and what he puts on his records.\u00a0As\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0whole, it makes the album easier to relate to.\u00a0At least, it gives it an approachable human quality.<\/span><\/p>\n The human aspect actually saves the album from feeling a little bit one-note.\u00a0 <\/span>Aesop produced <\/i>the entirety of The Impossible Kid<\/i>, and while his ear has improved over his career, the album does fall prey to a lot of the same pitfalls as his production with Hail Mary Mallon on Bestiary.<\/i>\u00a0<\/span>It feels a little rigid and harsh\u00a0at times, focused more on strong and punchy quarter note rhythms than on building an atmosphere and giving the tracks interesting textures.\u00a0<\/span>Granted, there\u2019s a noticeable effort made to smooth the production over, but it\u2019s often hit-or-miss.\u00a0 Alternately,\u00a0<\/span>Aesop\u2019s rapping technique has been consistent for the past few\u00a0years, but it hasn’t shown too much evolution and\u00a0can feel stale at times.\u00a0 <\/span>The engaging and honest nature of the writing certainly helps to gloss over the album\u2019s faults even if it doesn’t totally fix them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Impossible Kid<\/i> does have production gems here and there.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cDefender\u201d<\/em> is a surprisingly ethereal track with some more nuanced drums and a smooth bass\/synth combination.\u00a0It has a cheesy DJ sting or two, but it\u2019s forgivable in the greater mix.\u00a0\u201cGet Out Of The Car\u201d<\/em> cuts out the beat altogether and lets Aesop\u2019s percussive vocals work to give\u00a0the track a strong rhythm.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s a smart\u00a0choice that highlights the weight of his message on the track.\u00a0You can hear that he wrote the verse to include plenty of piercing consonants to give it a rhythm.\u00a0 <\/span>Above all, there\u2019s poetry on\u00a0the track. Word choice and delivery just proves how much he deserves the respect he\u2019s gained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If nothing else, Aesop Rock has always delivered tight verses that keep you hovering over the rewind button the whole time.\u00a0His delivery on this album follows suit with toothy diction, quick-fire imagery, and chuckle-inducing punchlines (\u201cCherry? No.\u00a0 <\/span>Whip? Yes.\u201d).\u00a0For those who go in for Aesop\u2019s unique flow and intellectual “wordsmith-ery”, The Impossible Kid <\/i>is a satisfying addition to his body of work.\u00a0 T<\/span>he album does<\/em> have something going on at a deeper level.\u00a0<\/span>It\u2019s less about the state of the rap game or the state of the world, and more about the state of Aesop Rock himself than anything else in his catalog.\u00a0 <\/span>For all of the record\u2019s faults, Aesop\u2019s attempt to write in a less guarded way\u00a0is ultimately a success. The Impossible Kid <\/i> carves out a truly unique spot for itself\u00a0<\/i>within his discography.<\/span><\/p>\n Rating: B<\/strong><\/p>\n Photo Credit:fifth element online.com & mtv.com<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"