Aesop Rock Daylight
EP
[first things first] To whom it may concern
I know You like Aesop Rock and you love this ep but you’re scared. You are scared because you’ve spent your life longing for this level of lucid lyricism and now you’ve got it in your face, you are scared. You are scared because this music speaks for itself and doesn’t rely on skin pigment or fabricated biographies of urban infamy to sell it. You’re scared because this music touches your soul and does not enhance your gangstafied exoskeleton which you inhabit to hold up your infirm thirty-something self image. Yes, you know it…you are scared and whilst you call out my name in your magazine, I haven’t mentioned your name – now you’re scared and angry! Put Daylight, the EP in your hifi, press play and deal with it because this CD’s about people like you.
Love Peace & Progress
Dino.
Now with that out the way…
Having already set into motion many cerebral solar systems, Rap’s one man spiritual super highway is back! This time around, this hefty dose of mind-blowing Oracular lyricism comes in the form of an EP built around the best track from the serious head’s best album of 2001. This reprise of his commuters’ anthem Daylight is echoed by Nightlight, which finds a nihilistic alter-ego with delusions of grandeur kicking in as soon as Bavitz’s overbaring super-ego and over-judgmental ego are tucked up in bed.
Following this double-bill comes the El-P produced Nickle Plated Pockets. In “a city where every crack in the sidewalk’s a symbol.” Aesop immerses himself in the role of a man who troubles himself with all the misplaced preoccupations of the average modern urbanite as they navigate their way through this world of canned laughter and telethons. As the character played by Aesop attempts to figure out what is genuinely important, Canibal Ox’sVast makes a breif cameo as a homeless man begging for some spare change. The guests and hook-ups don’t stop there because fellow Orphanage member, Weightless producer-emcee Blueprint makes an unusually fervent contribution during Alchemy.
The second track gave voice to Aesop Rock’s suppressed side and now the EP gives space to the oft forgotten man behind the man; Aesoprock’s producer and friend Blockhead. Forest Crunk is a peculiar instrumental composition where a blend of portishead style guitars and incidental music effects. Are laced over a bosanova beat giving rise to a mixture of the skipping beats associated with Dirty south bounce and eastern vocals. this mini-album (NB: Aesop Rock has released 4 quality CDs in the past three years) apparently concludes with the clunky-chunky-funky El-Producto production Bracket Basher…. Where Aesop informs the worrld “I prey to the gods of pornography and Playstation!”
Haha!Fooled you! – it aint over! Bonus track!
So another perfect Aesop Rock CD right? No. The combined consequence of increasing leaning toward the Def Jux production aesthetic and Aesop’s continual endeavour to cram as many words into each line as possible is that the thunder is slowly but surely seping out away from his vocals. Listen again to his first three CDs and here how the spacing of lyrics and lines allowed him to put power and growl into his verses. Now listen again to Daylight and hear how the power has left his delivery and is expected to now reside solely in the substance of what he’s saying…. The irony is that whilst he could have gotten away with this during the more melodious Float or Appleseed, Aesop’s vocals often risk being lost behind and beneath his evermore metallic and aggressive backdrops.
© Copyright 2002, CD Goldie for ukhh.com.
- Sumo Kaplunk | profile
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