Appleseed＜Clear & Black Smoke Vinyl＞

Appleseed was Aesop Rocks second self-issued release, following his sought-after 1997 debut Music for Earthworms. Like 2000s Float, his first album with proper distribution, the EPs tracks were produced by Aesop himself as well as frequent early collaborators Blockhead and Omega One, although they only handled one track each. Even at this early stage, hed pretty much established his signature style of ultra-dense, acutely descriptive rhyming, requiring numerous attentive listens to decipher his multidimensional brain barf. Easily a step up from the demo-like Earthworms, this is a much tighter, more focused set of tracks, even as it seems like Aesop is going off on a thousand tangents, following every strand of a thought that crosses his mind. The EP begins with a brief intro in which Aesop describes challenging his previous viewpoints, as well as those of people who blindly follow religious leaders. The Ornette Coleman sample used throughout Dryspell is relatively calm compared to Aesops whirlwind rhymes about self-doubt, clashing emotions, and whether his drive for success is worth it. The sinister Hold the Cup details his frustration at not gaining recognition for his hard work (at least not yet), while alluding to a drinking problem. 1,000 Deaths has one of the EPs more upbeat backing tracks, but the lyrics vent exasperation about Aesops day job as a waiter while subverting several biblical references. Odessa finds him trading lines with (and sometimes overlapping) the even more abstract Doseone of the Anticon collective, with both emcees sticking up for fellow underground rap weirdos, in their own roundabout ways. Appleseeds lyrics are more introspective than they might seem at first, even if theyre not quite as autobiographical as later Aesop albums like Skelethon and The Impossible Kid, and he hadnt developed his knack for storytelling yet, so the songs are less narrative and closer to aggravated bursts. Musically, the tracks are relatively laid-back and uncomplicated, barely hinting at the grand leap Aesop would take with the more polished production of his 2001 breakthrough Labor Days, but they serve as a neat time capsule of the late-90s backpacker rap era. [After Appleseed was initially released as a CD-R in 1999, Aesop Rock re-pressed the EP and made it available during some of his subsequent tours. Rhymesayers officially reissued Appleseed in 2021.] ~ Paul Simpson