UG Fiend
10-30-2003, 01:33 PM
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/images/a/aesop-rock/bazooka-tooth.gif
Aesop Rock
Bazooka Tooth
[Def Jux; 2003]
Rating: 8.2
"Cameras or guns, one of y'all gonna shoot me to death..."
Aesop Rock is having trouble adjusting to fame. Beginning his career selling CD-Rs on the streets of New York, Ian Bavitz was suddenly thrust into the spotlight with his groundbreaking Def Jux album Labor Days. Now, in the face of label inconsistency and massive expectations, he struggles with the pressures of the media and a rapidly growing fanbase with his new opus Bazooka Tooth.
No longer just a Long Island poet-cum-cipher slayer, Aesop Rock's abstract lyricism and gravel throat have earned him critical acclaim and a rabid following. But now the attention's being drawn to two major changes to his song structure. After spending the early part of his career tied to a sluggish, steady delivery, positive reaction to his Daylight EP has prompted him to evolve his style from nicotine-tinged calm to a more listenable, natural progression. Seemingly attacking his beats with a mix of nervous energy and raw confidence, the new Aesop Rock's voice cracks, lisps, degrades into a nerdish rising pitch bend and, most importantly, confronts the listener as opposed to subtly persuading them.
The other shift is in subject matter, where Bavitz avoids a singular album topic (Labor Days) or a far too scattered listening experience (Float). Aes tackles a variety of concepts, including the emergence of young killers ("Babies with Guns"), fondness for his home state ("N.Y. Electric", "No Jumper Cables"), and disillusionment with the media ("Bazooka Tooth", "Easy"), all the while offering his usual mix of hard-edged rhyme schemes ("Park your bets, sharks or jets/ It's bark marked targets where the barnacles nest") and clever idioms ("They burrow deep under the carnivore's flesh, without a trace/ Carnival games, like try to shoot the star out of his space").
The most talked-about song to develop from an album that stands as an individual manifesto is the one that has the least to do with Aesop's personal life. "We're Famous" features Def Jux CEO El-P in what serves as a company mission statement, Demigodz diss, and subterranean "Grindin'" response all in one. Cycling through harsh jackhammer synth stabs, toy gun alien abduction crescendos, and a crunk funk handclap-assisted drum line, El-Producto lambasts critics claiming "hip-hop's over", disses Esoteric ("You ain't a vet, you're just old"; "Some of these faggots used to send me their demos/ Breeding their puppy styles in the Company Flow kennels") and closes the verse with, "I'll slap the shit out of you to continue my nerd rap/ I'm making this money fist over fist, fuck what you heard." Aesop doesn't let the topic drop, claiming "the revolution will not be apologized for" and "b-boy, feed that to the needy/ Check your liquor hole, fuck you in 3-D, easy." The one-two combination makes for one of the most addictive diss tracks this side of Jay-Z's classic "The Takeover".
Most of the early disappointment regarding this record was at the hands of Aesop's self-production. While the Blockhead and El-P compositions stand out as the crafts of professional, time-tested beatmakers, Aesop's production style has a loose, raw intensity of electronic emotion that harkens back to Company Flow and early Tricky. From the windy stadium synth-wave rocker "No Jumper Cables" to the city-stomping drum march and twisted gypsy vocal sample pan of "Frijoles" to the boogie synth, clanging staircase sample and (in the second movement) Atlanta hi-hat crunch of "Mars Attacks", Bavitz evolves from the one-dimensional sample work he dabbled in and makes the step into the realm of mentionable producer.
The transition, however, isn't completely smooth, with the interludes adding dead weight, a couple songs failing to stand out among the pack ("Super Fluke", "N.Y. Electric"), a couple of unremarkable beats, and several unrealized conceptual possibilities limiting the total ascension of neo-Rock. But even if it won't hit you on the first listen, Bazooka Tooth remains a strong outing from one of underground hip-hop's most talented, thanks to its unprecedented wealth of lyrical depth and truly individual production style.
-Rollie Pemberton, October 23rd, 2003
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Solid review. Why is Pitchfork on-point when writing rap reviews, but sucks huge goat balls when reviewing indie-rock records, which is supposedly their specialty???
Aesop Rock
Bazooka Tooth
[Def Jux; 2003]
Rating: 8.2
"Cameras or guns, one of y'all gonna shoot me to death..."
Aesop Rock is having trouble adjusting to fame. Beginning his career selling CD-Rs on the streets of New York, Ian Bavitz was suddenly thrust into the spotlight with his groundbreaking Def Jux album Labor Days. Now, in the face of label inconsistency and massive expectations, he struggles with the pressures of the media and a rapidly growing fanbase with his new opus Bazooka Tooth.
No longer just a Long Island poet-cum-cipher slayer, Aesop Rock's abstract lyricism and gravel throat have earned him critical acclaim and a rabid following. But now the attention's being drawn to two major changes to his song structure. After spending the early part of his career tied to a sluggish, steady delivery, positive reaction to his Daylight EP has prompted him to evolve his style from nicotine-tinged calm to a more listenable, natural progression. Seemingly attacking his beats with a mix of nervous energy and raw confidence, the new Aesop Rock's voice cracks, lisps, degrades into a nerdish rising pitch bend and, most importantly, confronts the listener as opposed to subtly persuading them.
The other shift is in subject matter, where Bavitz avoids a singular album topic (Labor Days) or a far too scattered listening experience (Float). Aes tackles a variety of concepts, including the emergence of young killers ("Babies with Guns"), fondness for his home state ("N.Y. Electric", "No Jumper Cables"), and disillusionment with the media ("Bazooka Tooth", "Easy"), all the while offering his usual mix of hard-edged rhyme schemes ("Park your bets, sharks or jets/ It's bark marked targets where the barnacles nest") and clever idioms ("They burrow deep under the carnivore's flesh, without a trace/ Carnival games, like try to shoot the star out of his space").
The most talked-about song to develop from an album that stands as an individual manifesto is the one that has the least to do with Aesop's personal life. "We're Famous" features Def Jux CEO El-P in what serves as a company mission statement, Demigodz diss, and subterranean "Grindin'" response all in one. Cycling through harsh jackhammer synth stabs, toy gun alien abduction crescendos, and a crunk funk handclap-assisted drum line, El-Producto lambasts critics claiming "hip-hop's over", disses Esoteric ("You ain't a vet, you're just old"; "Some of these faggots used to send me their demos/ Breeding their puppy styles in the Company Flow kennels") and closes the verse with, "I'll slap the shit out of you to continue my nerd rap/ I'm making this money fist over fist, fuck what you heard." Aesop doesn't let the topic drop, claiming "the revolution will not be apologized for" and "b-boy, feed that to the needy/ Check your liquor hole, fuck you in 3-D, easy." The one-two combination makes for one of the most addictive diss tracks this side of Jay-Z's classic "The Takeover".
Most of the early disappointment regarding this record was at the hands of Aesop's self-production. While the Blockhead and El-P compositions stand out as the crafts of professional, time-tested beatmakers, Aesop's production style has a loose, raw intensity of electronic emotion that harkens back to Company Flow and early Tricky. From the windy stadium synth-wave rocker "No Jumper Cables" to the city-stomping drum march and twisted gypsy vocal sample pan of "Frijoles" to the boogie synth, clanging staircase sample and (in the second movement) Atlanta hi-hat crunch of "Mars Attacks", Bavitz evolves from the one-dimensional sample work he dabbled in and makes the step into the realm of mentionable producer.
The transition, however, isn't completely smooth, with the interludes adding dead weight, a couple songs failing to stand out among the pack ("Super Fluke", "N.Y. Electric"), a couple of unremarkable beats, and several unrealized conceptual possibilities limiting the total ascension of neo-Rock. But even if it won't hit you on the first listen, Bazooka Tooth remains a strong outing from one of underground hip-hop's most talented, thanks to its unprecedented wealth of lyrical depth and truly individual production style.
-Rollie Pemberton, October 23rd, 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Solid review. Why is Pitchfork on-point when writing rap reviews, but sucks huge goat balls when reviewing indie-rock records, which is supposedly their specialty???