''Garbology'' is a collaborative studio album by rapper
Aesop Rock
Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerge ...
and producer
Blockhead
Blockhead(s) may refer to:
Films
* ''The Blockhead'', a 1921 German silent film
* ''Block-Heads'', a 1938 film starring Laurel and Hardy
* ''Blockhead'' (film), a 1966 Italian film
Music
* Blockhead (music producer) (born 1976), American hip-h ...
. It was released through
Rhymesayers Entertainment
Rhymesayers Entertainment (sometimes abbreviated RSE) is an American independent hip-hop record label based in Minneapolis.
History
Rhymesayers Entertainment was co-founded in 1995 by Sean Daley (Slug), Anthony Davis (Ant), Musab Saad (Sab th ...
on November 12, 2021. The album was preceded by one single, "Jazz Hands", which was released on October 13, 2021, alongside a music video directed by
Rob Shaw.
Background
Prior to this album, Aesop Rock and Blockhead had been longtime collaborators; Blockhead had contributed production to each of Aesop's first five albums, and Aesop had provided vocals on several of Blockhead's solo tracks. However, before the two artists started work on this album, they had never collaborated on a full-length project together.
The artists began working in this album in early 2020, as Aesop was processing the death of a close friend, the skateboarder Kurt Hayashi. This origin influenced the title of the album: Aesop has stated that he sees parallels between the field of
garbology
Garbology is the study of modern refuse and trash as well as the use of trash cans, compactors and various types of trash can liners. As an academic discipline it was pioneered at the University of Arizona and long directed by William Rathje. The ...
and the idea of "picking up the pieces after a loss or period of intense unrest." The title was also chosen as a reference to
sampling, due to the way in which samples reuse and repurpose music from earlier eras.
Critical response
At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, ''Garbology'' received an average score of 79 based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
A
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
review praised Aesop's rapping on ''Garbology'' as "sound
ngon fire in a way he hasn't in years," with lyrical content characterized as "surrealistic, funny, and sometimes downright haunting".
A review on
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
, meanwhile, described Aesop's writing as feeling "alive" despite themes of "sadness and anger and boredom and free-floating dread".
Aesop's performance was also noted for versatility in his vocal delivery;
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
described him as utilizing "increasingly complex" flows with "subtle vocal variations", while Stereogum described him as rapping "more deliberately" and "finding new cadences."
Blockhead's production was characterized as minimalist; Pitchfork labels it as "musically spare" and as employing "an abundance of negative space," while PopMatters describes "desolate" production that "focused on keeping the spotlight on Bavitz".
The Stereogum review placed less emphasis on the minimalism, however, instead identifying the album's main musical motifs as "deep grooves and cymbal-splashes and squelchy guitars" that were reminiscent of "junkyard blues".
Comparing the release to Aesop Rock's previous album,
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's Paul Simpson claimed that "''Garbology'' isn't nearly as complex or conceptually driven as 2020's ''
Spirit World Field Guide
''Spirit World Field Guide'' is the eighth studio album by American hip hop artist Aesop Rock. It was released on November 13, 2020, through Rhymesayers Entertainment. It acts as a "guide" to the Spirit World. The album was preceded by two single ...
'', but it still contains an abundance of memorable lyrics, and demonstrates Aesop's talent for spinning fantastic stories out of nothing."
Track listing
Personnel
*
Ian Bavitz – vocals
*
Tony Simon –
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
*
Joe LaPorta
Joseph J. LaPorta (born ) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in New Jersey.http://www.allmusic.com/artist/joe-laporta-mn000199340/credits/date-asc/
Career
Born and raised in New York, LaPorta graduated from New York Univer ...
–
mastering
*
Joey Raia
Joey Raia is a New York-based mix engineer. He is known for his work with Run The Jewels, Aesop Rock, Nick Hook, Mac Miller and El-P. In 2017 he was nominated for the 2018 Grammy Awards in the category of "Best Rap Song" for mixing "Chase Me" by ...
–
mixing
*Justin Coro – artwork, layout
*Justin Kaufman – artwork, layout
*
Billy Woods
Billy Woods (stylized as billy woods) is an American rapper based in New York. He is also the founder of the record label Backwoodz Studioz. Woods has been a member of Armand Hammer, Super Chron Flight Brothers, and The Reavers.
Early life
Bill ...
– additional vocals (track 4)
*
Rob Sonic
Robert Smith, better known by his stage name Rob Sonic, is an American rapper and record producer from the Bronx, New York. He has been a member of the groups Sonic Sum and Hail Mary Mallon. He is a founder of the record label Skypimps Music.
B ...
– additional vocals (track 9)
Charts
References
{{Blockhead (music producer)
2021 albums
Aesop Rock albums
Blockhead (music producer) albums
Albums produced by Blockhead (music producer)
Rhymesayers Entertainment albums
Hip hop albums by American artists