Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives (Reissue)

The music improves on the dense atmosphere pervading Aesop's mostly self-produced Bazooka Tooth, and returning ace producer Blockhead to his prime role in the control chair. His grinding garbage-can beats and flair for old-school funk on the first two tracks, "Fast Cars" and "Number Nine," provide the necessary balance for the murky surrealism of Aesop Rock's lyrics. Aesop himself is back near the top of his admittedly obtuse talents, organizing a morass of pop-culture quotes and current-events terms into a poetic whole, and occasionally even managing to shine a light on his back story and motivations ("Grew up with a Jughead crown tilt and tardy slip," "I put a beetle on his back and take notes"). – All Music