None Shall Pass showcases the influence of Rocks West coast migration, fusing neo-Shakespearian raps with drop-top fresh beats by himself, Blockhead and Rob Sonic (as well as a disappointing contribution from El-P that feels obligatory). Conceptually, there isnt much new, save "Fumes, his first (kind of) love song. But "39 Thieves, "Citronella and "No City are some of his finest sinister songs yet. Lyrically, hes no less verbose and clever, working best in the present tense because if you overanalyse what you just heard, youll miss out on the next gem. On "Catacomb Kids, an exploration of the youths zeitgeist, he says, "Garbage pail kids unite at the mall food court/Chase cheese fries with Banaca/They shut the school down early, there were bombs inside the locker. Spend too much time on that and youll miss this: "They responded like a snow day. What is new, however, are his diligent hooks and traditional structure, making the record very repeatable. Ironically titled, None Shall Pass is Aesops most accessible effort and nothing highlights this more than "Coffee, which, if popular DJs knew any better, would be emanating from countrywide clubs.
(Def Jux)Aesop Rock
None Shall Pass
BY Omar MouallemPublished Sep 24, 2007