Crate Digging: None Shall Pass

by Aesop Rock

I remember picking this up at Fat Beats on a trip to NYC two summers ago, along with a ton of other albums. After I got back home, it took me a couple of days to make my way through all of my purchases, and I think some albums got a little less play than others. Due to this, I didn't really think of this as a terribly memorable album, and thought it was time to give it another spin and see what the deal was.

Truthfully, it's a little disappointing, and I'm not sure why. It's good - all of the individual tracks stand on their own, and blend well into a cohesive whole. The only problem is, they don't stand out.

Most of the production is by Blockhead, with the remaining tracks mostly handled by Aesop himself, although there is an El-P track, and another provided by Rob Sonic. The overall sound is reserved and chill, although it is still very much a Def Jux album.

Aesop Rock's wordplay is clever and masterful, but he is, in my opinion, showed up by Tha Jugganaut's Breezly Brewin on 'Getaway Car', my favourite track on this album.

The packaging for this disk is fantastic, and I like the costume party cartoon by Jeremy Fish.

This album does have a place in my collection, and it's very nice to groove to, but it still isn't standing out in my mind as a classic or a must-have.