Impossible Kid worth the wait

The Impossible Kid hits harder than any other Aesop Rock record. The rapper adds to his vocabulary palate with the usual flow of intelligent well-executed rhymes, blowing any mainstream rapper out of the water. None of the songs are about flourishing finances, elegant lifestyles, or other overused genre topics. And behind the encyclopedia of spoken-word are organic instrumentals that give the record a unique personality.

After tinkering with other side-projects, such as the folk-hop Uncluded and the collaborative rap group Hail Mary Malone, Aesop Rock folds back to himself on his seventh solo LP. Released almost four years since 2012’s Skelethon, the wait for The Kid was worth it. “Mystery Fish” parallels a swampy car chase, hitting you in the equilibrium. The goopy scratching, the chirp-guitars, and loose horns swishing around the unique vocal delivery reminds you that Ian Bavits is one of a kind. The way the lyrics twist and turn, they seem improvised — “Tech support, feral army, in a cave on a failed bit of terraforming, four corners of paranormal, l get shorn for a thermos and pair of thermals in the warehouse air where his dairy curdles.” The words are all over the place and proceed to entangle your psyche. “Lotta Years” and “Blood Sandwich” are lyrically more cohesive, allowing you to read along instead of interpreting. But it’s the instrumentals holding everything together. From the lumpy bass lines on “Supercell” to the raw drum licks of “Rings” and “Rabies,” Impossible Kid parallels an old-school rap record.

• Record: The Impossible Kid
• Artist: Aesop Rock
• Label: Rhymesayers Entertainment
• Songs: (1) Mystery Fish (2) Rings (3) Lotta Years (4) Dorks (5) Rabies (6) Supercell (7) Blood Sandwich (8) Get Out of the Car (9) Shrunk (10) Kirby (11) TUFF (12) Lazy Eye (13) Defender (14) Water Tower (15) Molecules