2023 reissue, originally released in 2003 - Aesop Rock is having trouble adjusting to fame. Just a few short years ago, Ian Bavitz was still selling his own handmade CD-Rs on the streets of New York, but it didn't take long for him to find his way into the spotlight: his groundbreaking Def Jux album Labor Days was an instant underground smash. Now, in the face of label inconsistency and heightened expectations, his new album, Bazooka Tooth, shows him struggling with the pressures of the media and a rapidly growing fanbase.
Aesop Rock's abstract lyricism and gravel throat have earned him critical acclaim and a rabid following, but he's no longer just a Long Island poet-cum-cipher slayer, and some of the changes he's made to his style on Bazooka Tooth are drawing attention. Bavitz spent the early part of his career tied to a sluggish, steady delivery, but here, he's upgraded his style from a nicotine-tinged calm to a more natural, accessible flow. Now attacking his beats with a mix of nervous energy and raw confidence, the new Aesop Rock cracks, lisps, bends his pitch, and most importantly, confronts his listeners rather than choosing to subtly persuade them.
| A1 | Bazooka Tooth |
| A2 | N.Y. Electric |
| A3 | Hunter Interlude |
| A4 | Easy |
| A5 | No Jumper Cables |
| B1 | Limelighters |
| B2 | Funkadelic Interlude |
| B3 | Super Fluke |
| B4 | Cook It Up |
| B5 | Freeze |
| B6 | Honeycomb Interlude |
| C1 | We're Famous |
| C2 | Babies With Guns |
| C3 | The Greatest Pac-Man Victory In History |
| D1 | Frijoles |
| D2 | 11:35 |
| D3 | Ketamine U.S.A. Interlude |
| D4 | Kill The Messenger |
| D5 | Mars Attacks |
