Aesop Rock - Spirit World Field Guide ALBUM REVIEW

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The dictionary can be both a blessing and a curse. While it has helped nearly everyone in their early education, it’s also quite a lot to learn. Artists, rappers in particular, also have quite a say in what their musical dictionary is. The best example coming to mind about one of my favorite lyrical rappers is right now is Daveed Diggs, the vocalist for clipping. Many different artists come to mind for different people, and I think Aesop Rock should be mentioned a lot more often. His last solo album, The Impossible Kid, was pretty great, although I was a little late to the party on that record. So, this is his newest album, Spirit World Field Guide. Let’s just get right into it, enough talk!

Spirit World Field Guide is a hip-hop album with experimental influences. First off, I’m not familiar with a lot of Rock’s work, so please bear with me if I don’t get every single part! I gotta admit, this is a new tier of lyrical ability. His choice of words and his flows are all some of the most top-notch in this category I’ve heard this year. If I had to pick a favorite track off of it, I guess I have to pick either “The Gates” simply because of how much of a lyrical standout it is, which there are many, or “Gauze” because of just how dense and meaty this beat is, and THAT BEAT SWITCH. God, this is one of the best beat switches all year. I’m also a giant fan of how cohesive it all is. The concept is quite literally the title, a guide to entering the spirit world. All the beats and lyrical content come together for a really strange album to listen to, and it’s pretty fun. This is the best way for me to say that this is a sci-fi rap album. That’s the best way to describe Spirit World Field Guide to me.

Like RTJ4 from this past summer and clipping.’s Visions of Bodies Being Burned, Aesop Rock’s Spirit World Field Guide completes a holy trinity of lyrical masterpieces that have come out in 2020. Lyrically, this is an out of this world experience that not a lot of rap projects of 2020 can touch. The overall sound and concept is unlike anything I’ve heard in a long time, and I beg you to check this out. I’m now an Aesop Rock fan.


9/10


Stream Spirit World Field Guide here

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