Aesop's Fables - So Much Silence

Greetings, Jeff Weiss here again, filling in while Kevin re-enacts the classic film, The Muppets Take Manhattan. As of this morning, he has already stopped three muggings, disrupted two Broadway musicals with what patrons described as “boorish, drunken” behavior, and beaten up several Williamsburg residents for being a bit too hirsute for their own good. Rumor has it, Bloomberg is preparing him a medal of honor.

So you’re probably thinking, when did So Much Silence become a Def Jux fan-boy blog? Good question. But a wrong-headed one as the Blockhead album wasn’t released on Def Jux, it was released on Ninja Tune. I believe the word you’re looking for is “touche.”

Let’s talk Aesop Rock for a moment. Specifically, his latest and arguably greatest album None Shall Pass. I reviewed it for Stylus so if you’re looking for a more in-depth analysis, it can be found over there. But in short, it’s an outstanding, complex record from one of the most unsung and interesting artists making music in the 21st Century. Even if you disliked Aesop in the past, it’s worth checking for, considering it’s his most accessible work yet, a record that simultaneously manages to be avant-garde while staying true to the roots of hip-hop. Whatever that means in 2007.

Last week, None Shall Pass debuted at #50 on the charts, moving 13,200 units, making it perhaps the highest a Def Jux record has ever charted. Either way, it’s an incredible achievement for a guy who has paid his dues And in honor of the record’s release, I thought I’d leave some MP3’s from the new album for you guys to download, as well as a video retrospective of Aesop’s decade making music

Download:
MP3: Aesop Rock-“None Shall Pass” (right-click)
MP3: Aesop Rock-“Citronella” (right-click)

“Abandon All Hope” from Music for Earthworms (1997)