Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass

For almost a decade, Ian Bavitz (best known by his Aesop Rock moniker) has been turning heads on the underground rap circuit with his articulate, nicotine-tinged delivery and dense, hyper-literate lyrics. He’s also been rather consistent throughout his career. Considering that he’s been on putting out material for ten years, Bavitz has a surprisingly solid discography under his belt.

However, it’s been four years since the release of Bazooka Tooth, the last Aesop Rock full length. Since then he’s reached his 30th birthday, moved from New York City (whose slums have served as his constant muse) to San Francisco, and gotten married. Does Aesop Rock have another great album in him?

The short answer to that question is “yes”. From the outset of None Shall Pass, Bavitz makes it clear that he has lost none of his enthusiasm. Opener "Keep Off the Lawn" kicks the album off with an infectious combination of funk sampling and live drums as Bavitz belts out a boisterous call-and-response chorus. ("How alive?! Too alive!")

Of course, it’s not at all clear what the song actually means. Ostensibly, it’s a preemptive declaration of vigor in spite of age, but Bavitz's lyrics are completely indecipherable. Perhaps the most important thing to understand about Aesop Rock is that it is almost entirely futile to try and grasp any meaning. While he insists that they are meaningful (a small minority of people believe him), his penchant for bizarre, eccentric imagery is far too dense to be bothered with.

One shouldn’t focus on understanding Bavitz's words, but rather the rapping itself. What exactly do lines like "notice that the phobias appropriately procreate" mean? Who knows, but it’s difficult to deny the appeal of the tongue-twister tumble when Bavitz spits it out in his trademark nasally monotone.

Most promisingly, sometime between Bazooka Tooth and None Shall Pass Bavitz developed the ability to write a truly excellent chorus. Aside from "Keep Off the Lawn", the hooks for "Catacomb Kids", "Getaway Car", and "Five Fingers" practically beg to be awkwardly sung by white frat kids. It lends a pleasant degree of catchiness to Bavitz’s work, which was often monotonous at first blush.


Aesop Rock - "None Shall Pass"
Bavitz also branches out with a formidable arsenal of production talents. Unlike previous Aesop Rock projects, None Shall Pass employs a wide variety of producers (such as Blockhead, El-P, Rob Sonic and Bavitz himself). The diversity of beats creates an awkward flow of songs, but it also keeps things interesting and lively.

While all contributors to the album make solid, well-realized beats, Bavitz’s own work steal the show here. Having refined and tightened his production noticeably since 2005’s Fast Cars EP, the music is nervous, jittery and well suited for Aesop Rock’s neurotic delivery. It’s unsurprising that the best fit for Bavitz’s own flow is his own production, and one finds himself wishing that he had come to the same conclusion before hiring so many other rap talents to help him out.

Even so, the other producers pull their own weight admirably. Blockhead’s calls to mind Aesop Rock’s breakthrough Labor Days, particularly the darkly ominous "Fumes". El-P does an excellent job on both the hook of "39 Thieves" the socially conscious "Gun for the Whole Family". Rob Sonic’s lone track, "Dark Heart News", is decent but forgettable by comparison to the other tracks.

At the end of the day, None Shall Pass is a solid entry into the Aesop Rock’s rap catalogue. It lacks the freshness or cohesiveness of a stone-cold classic, but it’s sure to please Aesop Rock’s oldest fans and win over plenty of new ones.

Originally written for the Cavalier Daily.