A casual review of Aesop Rock x Homeboy Sandman's Lice EP

Started by Charlie Work, Jan 24, 2016, in Music Add to Reading List

  1. Charlie Work
    Posts: 14,879
    Likes: 25,809
    Joined: Nov 28, 2014

    Charlie Work Level 5 Goblin

    Jan 24, 2016
    [​IMG]



    Aes and Homeboy break the ice with some sketches reminiscent of a Hail Mary Mallon cut. Aes uses his trademark fractal rhyming with disparate images and ideas that converge on a common point or tone. Homeboy is a more naturalist writer with off-the-wall humor and a strange perspective on everything. The production reminds me heavily of Skelethon with the heavy presence of the drums and space rockish atmosphere. This style of production is pretty consistent throughout.



    Here they run with a tighter concept going back and forth with various "dos and don'ts" from the proper etiquette of group sex to the common courtesy of returning an album that you're lent. Homeboy Sandman's humor really shines in instances where he explains that you shouldn't fart if your girl is the big spoon. Aes has a history of calling back to the golden age of hip-hop. as he does a couple of times on this EP, and this track really captures the fun of that era.



    From what I gather, this track is concerned with painting your own reality in a Chuck Jones fashion. Aes' bars about street performers juggling cuttlery and cannon balls and Homeboy's utterance of gadzooks establish the tone of their toonverse. This is definitely Aes' comfort zone and he cruises right through it in signature fashion. The hook is kind of blaze though.



    I skip this track more often than I listen to it. The production feels like church music and the chipmunk vocals are really played as far as I'm concerned. The verses are rather good, but the introspective magic is noticeably curbed by them having to find common ground as opposed to being personal and vulnerable by themselves.




    This relatively hardcore turn makes you realize how much tonal ground they cover in this short project. I tend to prefer the Fort Minor remix with the refined vocal mastering, superior dog barks, and the odd way that their verses sound even more natural over the beat. The industrial drums sound like someone banging empty oil barrels. Lots of stuff going on sonically.

    Conclusion: This is a short, sweet project with tremendous chemistry and a relatively wide scope. Aesop turns in his typical self so whatever you think of his recent work should shape your expectations. Homeboy Sandman actually wins me over on this more than he ever has. I've listened to The Good Sun and didn't find him half as interesting or funny on that. Check it out bb
     
    Mar 29, 2024
  2. Tha Story
    Posts: 1,574
    Likes: 1,814
    Joined: Feb 15, 2011
    Location: Wales, UK

    Jan 24, 2016
    I don't know if - when I finally got around to listening to this - I went into the EP with no expectations or expectations of both artists so high from past efforts.

    To me the EP sounds like a compilation of throw-away tracks that both artists just coast through.

    This is a problem I've found with Boy Sand more than any other artist over the years; each release is the same, it doesn't seem like he pushes himself to become a better artist/writer/rapper.
     
    #2
    0 0
    Mar 29, 2024
  3. Charlie Work
    Posts: 14,879
    Likes: 25,809
    Joined: Nov 28, 2014

    Charlie Work Level 5 Goblin

    Jan 24, 2016
    The tracks are written too well for me to write off, but there is definitely a light heartedness to Aesop's collaborative works in place of any aggressive push forward creatively. In regards to Sandman, this is the best stuff I've ever heard from him by far. Maybe I just appreciate him more in small doses. This is at least as good as any Hail Mary Mallon tape and actually slightly better in my opinion.
     
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2016
    #3
    0 0
    Mar 29, 2024
  4. Oldboy
    Posts: 50,757
    Likes: 158,098
    Joined: Feb 14, 2011

    Oldboy Administrator

    Jan 24, 2016
    the cover is cool tbh
     
    #4
    0 0
    Mar 29, 2024