Aesop Rocks Integrated Tech Solutions is roughly about how technology has shaped humanity, mutating into a parasitic and destructive force driven by corporate jargon. Beginning with a fake advertisement about "a system of lifestyle and industry applications designed to curate a desired multi-experience," which the sped-up voice at the end insists "is not a cult," the album traces the invention of the wheel to the creation of all things distracting and harmful on opening song "Mindful Solutionism." While the first two tracks and the grim "Living Curfew" (featuring billy woods) set the tone for a cynical, dystopian epic laced with dark humor, much of the remainder of the album is reflective and even impressionist, with Aesop taking the time to appreciate simple things and tell detailed stories about the past. "100 Feet Tall" is a hilarious recollection about a childhood encounter with Mr. T at a restaurant in New York, while Aesop mourns the passing of his grandmother during the much more somber "Vititus," which is filled with detailed memories of home cooking. Elsewhere, Aesop remains a master of telling playfully outlandish tales, like "Salt and Pepper Squid" (which craftily samples "Push It") and "Aggressive Steven," which begins as a story about a disturbed naked man who climbed up a wall to the ceiling, eventually ending up a sobering observation about how society deals with the mentally ill. The albums sub-themes include obsessions with food (particularly on the tantalizing "Time Moves Differently Here") and art. "Kyanite Toothpick" makes repeated references to the Bauhaus movement and brutalist architecture, while "On Failure" is a brief spoken word piece about not being a huge Van Gogh fan, but thinking its inaccurate to describe the artist as a failure given his posthumous legacy. Production-wise, the beats are as on point as ever, typically favoring funky boom-bap with touches of psych-rock guitar, and occasionally drifting close to trip-hop melancholy ("Living Curfew," "Bermuda"). As ever, though, the main attraction is Aesops compelling wordplay, and his ability to keep the listeners attention while veering into different lyrical and conceptual directions. ~ Paul Simpson

Rovi