Float

The genius on this record is insane! Some of y’all ain’t really LISTENING though, don’t let Aesop’s fast raps and obscure topics deter you from a gem with some of the best poetry you will ever fucking hear. 6B Panorama literally depicts everything this man can see from his apartment with wordplay that blows my mind with its complexity but also his peculiar observation of the world that we see across the LP. Also at the end of the song when he talks about Galaxy Gas I almost gagged.

Attention Span is one of my favourites as well. It has a loud horns that demand your attention and groovy guitar playing that come together to make The Imperial March for people who need to seize their moment in life. This song lyrically is head-to-toe in witty remarks that have a heap of truth to them and ideas of futurism and its possibilities. Vast of Cannibal Ox recognition delivers clever double and even triple entendres like “Found your body in the desert (Scavenger’s dessert)” which is so cold blooded and edgy. But despite all of that somehow Aesop still outdoes him with about 30 different topics in his verse but that’s how he does it!

Blockhead handles the beats really well and even has his own little interludes that are compelling little breaks that I enjoy as a break from glaring at my reading sheet the whole listen. There is excellent consistency in the tone and direction but great diversity in composition and structure that leaves no idea being used twice. He’s got a really great ear for drums that Aesop seems to be able to rap off beat on but can return back to the tempo flawlessly which is something I notice and really is perfect in their partnership.

Drawbridge features Doseone who I know nothing about but is a diverse talent it seems. Him and Rock change delivery between a computer voicemail flow and their casual relaxed conversation really well without it ever relating to the concept of the song. It’s a fun piece of diversity that just makes it such a standout in the Track list. Bass playing brews all throughout Float and provides a lot of head-bop-ability of the record that the raps only build upon. Even when it comes to songs like I’ll Be Ok with the most colourful kazoo and banjo playing you’ve ever heard it all means nothing because of how perfect the bass notes hit.

Float has a very few low moments on the record but it mostly comes down to Ian straying a little bit too far from the scene because he does tend to go down lyrical rabbit holes but they rarely are uninteresting. But most of the downsides are just lack of inspiration in the beats which is the least of worries in the rapping. For what it’s worth Garbage is a good switch of tone after maybe the most intense performance of the bunch but it’s instrumental feels out of place amongst the bunch even if I don’t hate it. Fascination takes good advantage of the 808 machine and has moody hits and claps for days but it isn’t enough to entertain this stellar rapping performance.

I’m obsessed with this album right now and I can’t wait to listen to it more in the future. I feel like I’ve only scratch the surface after listening to it three times. What has been achieved here is commendable, we’re so lucky that people like Aesop Rock exist who push this boundary of the norm in rap music which inspires others to do their own thing as well. Give this a listen everyone, the score is bullshit!