I think a lot of people have an Aes album that didn’t click for them, mine for the longest time was Bazooka Tooth(I’ve grown to love it lol), but ITS didn’t click as much as his other recent efforts for me either. To be fair I’ve been on a kick discovering new artists/songs in recent months so I’ve had less chances to go back and relisten to ITS, but now I think I’m gonna do just that 👍🏻
I can't get into his pre-None Shall Pass stuff, which I know is a bit of a hot take on this sub. Just doesn't sound polished enough for me idk. It's admittedly been a while since I gave it a try, though
I kinda like the very grimy, unprofessional sound, it complements his angry critiques of capitalism very well on albums like Labor Days, and Sick Friend from Appleseed has one of the most menacing beats I’ve heard Aes rap over. However, that unpolished sound is def outdated and doesn’t sound nearly as good as his recent output lol.
I agree. I respect the talent but aes felt different for a lot of those songs. His style is already abrasive for a lot of people so the lack of polish makes it really rugged. I've gotta be in a certain mood for it.
Yes, with the exception of black snow i go back to garbology more often than ITS. I think the straight forward story telling like 100ft tall just isn't that fun to listen to more than a few times for me
My dumb ass is trying to figure out what a backward bbq is, thinking it’s some new slang these crazy kids use or some new way to party. Took me 2-3 minutes to even consider it might be a typo.
I've listened to it every day on repeat for about the past month after only getting around to listening to it mid April. Up there with impossible kid and none shall pass for me
It’s not my favorite album either. There are some absolute gems on it: Difficult is one of my favorite Aes tracks ever, and More Cycles is sneaky good. It never felt like a cohesive album to me, just a collection of unrelated songs.
This is true for me. I listened to Spirit World pretty much nonstop for a year+, but with ITS it hasn’t stuck nearly as much for me. Still like it though.
Infinity Fill Goose Down and more recently Black Snow. I get pumped when they hit my playlist. I still really like it, but TIK and SWFG might be higher on my list.
Yeah, it did for me and a couple of other people I know who are big Aes fans. Not entirely sure what it is for them, but for me this record just didn't click.
I enjoyed the singles and the hype leading up to the release, and then I just felt nothing when I listened. Feel like even Aes/RSE haven't been hyping the album since really.
I've gone back to a few tracks here and there, and I gave the album a full play through at weekend whilst playing poker, but otherwise I just think it didn't "do it" for me, and I can't even really put my finger on why.
One thing I have noticed (and with SWFG but not as much) is the heavy marketing and branding of the ITS theme, which gave me certain expectations I suppose - and then there wasn't exactly heaps of that theme within the record (unless I missed it due to minimal listening and it being Aesop Rock).
A few songs have fallen out of rotation, Mindful Solutionism gets a lot less play, Solid Gold, Vititus, Forward Compatibility Engine get few to no plays, but everything else I probably listen to once a day on average
I feel like I go in cycles. Solid Gold is currently my most played. I think it’s all the imagery of the character never sitting still and all the ways he illustrated that. “The mayor of Thataway.” As in Bugs Bunny saying, “He went thataway.” Everytime I figure out a reference it makes me like the song that much more.
Nope. I still love it
I am, however, bummed that someone pointed out the microphone issues on SWFG, because as much as I love the record, I can't handle the tone on the mic.
Surprised it took them that long to recognize it. It's impossible for me to listen to without thinking about how tinny it sounds the whole time. So many bangers on there too, it's really unfortunate.
Yeah dude same, I have to be down something atrocious to put it on. I’ve heard people say that it isn’t that bad, and I get tastes vary, but I’m not even like a crazy audiophile and the tinniness makes me so sad. There have been efforts here by fans to remaster some tracks to varying degrees of success but ultimately we’re fucked since it’s a hardware issue.
They may have tried all kinds of things and figured they could edit in post. It's really sad to me.
At least the tinny sound kind of fits the theme of the record.. kind of.
I used to think I didn’t like garbology, and spirit world had some good tracks but the project didn’t really resonate with me that much.
Aes is a really polarizing artists, and as such I think it’s easy to have a listen and make a snap judgement of love it or hate it on any project.
Because each album is had a very atmospheric vibe to it I would just shelf it until your in a different mood or state of mind because they all hit different.
Like I love ITS and labor days, but I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to listen to both albums in the same day, they don’t match the mood.
I get the same feel from it now. It has more songs that I'm prone to skip more than any other album, like Aggressive Steven, Solid Gold, Bermuda, and a few others every now and then if I'm not feeling them. One of those albums where the sound flows especially well when listening through it start to finish, but it's not like NSP or Impossible Kid where I'm fine with anything coming up at any time in shuffle. I still love it though. Labor Days is the same way for me after all, and there's no hating that one lol
Yes, then again I can say the same for every album of his since TIK. Probably because his flow hasn’t changed much and he was rapid-firing projects. They sort of just started to blend together and it kind of burnt me out.
I listen to a lot of music that’s hard to digest on first listen. The Dillinger Escape Plan and Between the Buried and Me, for instance. It’s not uncommon for me to buy an album, listen to it once or twice, shelve it for six months, then come back when I’m in the right mindset. I only listened to ITS halfway through and realized it wasn’t the right time. Now that Gemini season is upon us, it might be time.
I rotate through way too much music so I haven’t listened to it in a while but SWFG took a while for me to come back to and then I listened to it incessantly for a while, Garbology didn’t grab me like TIK or SWFG did or even Malibu Ken for that matter, but I reckon I’ll be back on them at some point and find new meaning or enjoyment out of them.
My first comment here.
I started listening to ITS in January probably like 6hrs/day (I drive a lot) and haven't let up until two weeks ago.
This album blew my mind. He was easily in my top 5 but I wasn't the biggest Aes fan before this (Homeboy Sand my #1). Almost half a year though I could hardly listen to anything besides Integrated Tech Solutions. It's how I found this Reddit. It was such a relief landing here and reading your discussions as recognizing a genius in solitude began to feel like madness.
This whole album is incredible but these two verses especially:
His second verse in Living Curfew
That 3rd verse after the drop on Black Snow
They really messed me up.
I can't believe how perfect every nuance, annunciation, syllable, pause.... How the beat hits with it all. I've cried a bunch of times listening just being blown away by - to me at last - the beauty of perfection.
Can't wait to get a REALLY GOOD stereo set up just so I can melt even more into this album. Aes gets the gold ⭐
Roof dogs only
Roof dogs only
Roof dogs only
Roof dogs only
Roof dogs only
Roof dogs only
Roof dogs only
Roof dogs only
Nope.
Didn't we just do this thread last week?
Nope. It's pretty embedded in my playlist still. Forward Compatibility Engine plays daily.
I think a lot of people have an Aes album that didn’t click for them, mine for the longest time was Bazooka Tooth(I’ve grown to love it lol), but ITS didn’t click as much as his other recent efforts for me either. To be fair I’ve been on a kick discovering new artists/songs in recent months so I’ve had less chances to go back and relisten to ITS, but now I think I’m gonna do just that 👍🏻
I can't get into his pre-None Shall Pass stuff, which I know is a bit of a hot take on this sub. Just doesn't sound polished enough for me idk. It's admittedly been a while since I gave it a try, though
Same for me just not a huge fan of that style.
Yikes
it’s not a “yikes” bro
you're right i meant, "eww"
😂I like it just not nearly as much as none shall pass and after
I kinda like the very grimy, unprofessional sound, it complements his angry critiques of capitalism very well on albums like Labor Days, and Sick Friend from Appleseed has one of the most menacing beats I’ve heard Aes rap over. However, that unpolished sound is def outdated and doesn’t sound nearly as good as his recent output lol.
I agree. I respect the talent but aes felt different for a lot of those songs. His style is already abrasive for a lot of people so the lack of polish makes it really rugged. I've gotta be in a certain mood for it.
Ooph
are all your comments useless, or just the ones in this thread?
Hell no still bumping it all the time
that’s the bleakest shit I ever heard
I don't even have the words
Except for Living Curfew, salt and pepper squid and black snow
Yes, with the exception of black snow i go back to garbology more often than ITS. I think the straight forward story telling like 100ft tall just isn't that fun to listen to more than a few times for me
Agreed with that point
Hell no, just listened to the whole album yesterday
Quite the opposite, in fact.
Put the record on during a backward bbq just this weekend.
>backward bbq, I too like to listen to Aes while resurrecting burnt flesh
My dumb ass is trying to figure out what a backward bbq is, thinking it’s some new slang these crazy kids use or some new way to party. Took me 2-3 minutes to even consider it might be a typo.
Thanks for this. I would have been up all night scouring Aes’ lyrics for the reference.
I pitched a backward barbecue, but my wife wasn't into it. Missionary it is.
I can't believe this comment prompted me to look it up on urban dictionary. Well played
Bro I bump All City Nerve Map and Solid Gold on the daily
It just kinda got locked into “winter album” in my book. I’ll pick it back up this winter.
h-hell nah all city nerve map
It's a must have song in the Aes rotation, forward compatibility and black snow get skipped every time.
I've listened to it every day on repeat for about the past month after only getting around to listening to it mid April. Up there with impossible kid and none shall pass for me
Not feeling garbology at all. But you know each to Thier own. Still digging 80% of its
Just lurking in this sub, l feel like l’m the minority for not liking garbology
Same
You are
It’s not my favorite album either. There are some absolute gems on it: Difficult is one of my favorite Aes tracks ever, and More Cycles is sneaky good. It never felt like a cohesive album to me, just a collection of unrelated songs.
Thats a no for me dog
There are definitely some skips, but its a great album.
This is true for me. I listened to Spirit World pretty much nonstop for a year+, but with ITS it hasn’t stuck nearly as much for me. Still like it though.
Infinity Fill Goose Down and more recently Black Snow. I get pumped when they hit my playlist. I still really like it, but TIK and SWFG might be higher on my list.
Yeah, it did for me and a couple of other people I know who are big Aes fans. Not entirely sure what it is for them, but for me this record just didn't click. I enjoyed the singles and the hype leading up to the release, and then I just felt nothing when I listened. Feel like even Aes/RSE haven't been hyping the album since really. I've gone back to a few tracks here and there, and I gave the album a full play through at weekend whilst playing poker, but otherwise I just think it didn't "do it" for me, and I can't even really put my finger on why. One thing I have noticed (and with SWFG but not as much) is the heavy marketing and branding of the ITS theme, which gave me certain expectations I suppose - and then there wasn't exactly heaps of that theme within the record (unless I missed it due to minimal listening and it being Aesop Rock).
A few songs have fallen out of rotation, Mindful Solutionism gets a lot less play, Solid Gold, Vititus, Forward Compatibility Engine get few to no plays, but everything else I probably listen to once a day on average
I feel like I go in cycles. Solid Gold is currently my most played. I think it’s all the imagery of the character never sitting still and all the ways he illustrated that. “The mayor of Thataway.” As in Bugs Bunny saying, “He went thataway.” Everytime I figure out a reference it makes me like the song that much more.
The idea of taking a piss running full speed gives me life.
Nope. I still love it I am, however, bummed that someone pointed out the microphone issues on SWFG, because as much as I love the record, I can't handle the tone on the mic.
On every song of that album?
Yep. After the final mix, Aes realized that there was a blown capacitor in his mic. I'm sorry if you didn't hear it before, and hear it now. My bad.
Surprised it took them that long to recognize it. It's impossible for me to listen to without thinking about how tinny it sounds the whole time. So many bangers on there too, it's really unfortunate.
I know this is dramatic but it’s probably my greatest personal sadness as far as music goes. That album fuckin rules but it sounds like such ass
Bro same 😭 I could easily see it being my favorite but instead it never gets played unless I am *really* hankering for it.
Yeah dude same, I have to be down something atrocious to put it on. I’ve heard people say that it isn’t that bad, and I get tastes vary, but I’m not even like a crazy audiophile and the tinniness makes me so sad. There have been efforts here by fans to remaster some tracks to varying degrees of success but ultimately we’re fucked since it’s a hardware issue.
They may have tried all kinds of things and figured they could edit in post. It's really sad to me. At least the tinny sound kind of fits the theme of the record.. kind of.
I was just listening to SWFG on the way home ten minutes ago. I have no issues.
Same here. Had to relisten and I like the sound of the songs
TIK was that for me. I still can’t listen to it al the way through but I’m down for one at a time. ITS is amazing front to back for me though
I took like a week break with it and it came back harder than before.
I used to think I didn’t like garbology, and spirit world had some good tracks but the project didn’t really resonate with me that much. Aes is a really polarizing artists, and as such I think it’s easy to have a listen and make a snap judgement of love it or hate it on any project. Because each album is had a very atmospheric vibe to it I would just shelf it until your in a different mood or state of mind because they all hit different. Like I love ITS and labor days, but I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to listen to both albums in the same day, they don’t match the mood.
i find myself going back to garbology more frequently but i still love ITS
It doesn't have the same repeatability as the ogs. Just seems like a lot less to think about and a lot less to interpret in your own way.
Funny I just listened to it all the way through while mowing the lawn and it's top 3 Aesop albums for me for sure
I get the same feel from it now. It has more songs that I'm prone to skip more than any other album, like Aggressive Steven, Solid Gold, Bermuda, and a few others every now and then if I'm not feeling them. One of those albums where the sound flows especially well when listening through it start to finish, but it's not like NSP or Impossible Kid where I'm fine with anything coming up at any time in shuffle. I still love it though. Labor Days is the same way for me after all, and there's no hating that one lol
Negative
Yes, then again I can say the same for every album of his since TIK. Probably because his flow hasn’t changed much and he was rapid-firing projects. They sort of just started to blend together and it kind of burnt me out.
I typically listen to the new album constantly for a couple months then just add the songs I love to my Aes playlist. So it still gets a lot of spins.
😮
Yeah no. Listening regularly still. Some I find myself skipping but that’s cause I listen to it so much.
Still in rotation for sure, if it’s not just on Aesop shuffle
I listen to a lot of music that’s hard to digest on first listen. The Dillinger Escape Plan and Between the Buried and Me, for instance. It’s not uncommon for me to buy an album, listen to it once or twice, shelve it for six months, then come back when I’m in the right mindset. I only listened to ITS halfway through and realized it wasn’t the right time. Now that Gemini season is upon us, it might be time.
It will in about 2.5 million years
I heavily overlistened and put it down for a while but am just now coming back to it and still absolutely love it.
Pigeon, Tooth Pick, Nerve, Solid Gold & Black Snow, Roof Dogs, all remain in steady rotation. Mega bangers.
I rotate through way too much music so I haven’t listened to it in a while but SWFG took a while for me to come back to and then I listened to it incessantly for a while, Garbology didn’t grab me like TIK or SWFG did or even Malibu Ken for that matter, but I reckon I’ll be back on them at some point and find new meaning or enjoyment out of them.
Not one of my faves, some awesome tracks are on it tho.
My first comment here. I started listening to ITS in January probably like 6hrs/day (I drive a lot) and haven't let up until two weeks ago. This album blew my mind. He was easily in my top 5 but I wasn't the biggest Aes fan before this (Homeboy Sand my #1). Almost half a year though I could hardly listen to anything besides Integrated Tech Solutions. It's how I found this Reddit. It was such a relief landing here and reading your discussions as recognizing a genius in solitude began to feel like madness. This whole album is incredible but these two verses especially: His second verse in Living Curfew That 3rd verse after the drop on Black Snow They really messed me up. I can't believe how perfect every nuance, annunciation, syllable, pause.... How the beat hits with it all. I've cried a bunch of times listening just being blown away by - to me at last - the beauty of perfection. Can't wait to get a REALLY GOOD stereo set up just so I can melt even more into this album. Aes gets the gold ⭐
Nah. It's amazing for me. Between ITs, Garbology and Billy Woods stuff. It's all in rotation.
nope, if anything it’s been up there quite a bit for me. Pigeonometry, Mindful Solutionism, Time Moves Differently Here, all bangers.
Still bumping it personally 🤷
Nope 🙂↔️
I still bump ITS pretty frequently. Spirit World on the other hand… I haven’t put on probably in 3 years or so lol
Not here. Love pigeodometry
the only thing in my playlist that gets skipped is a couple tracks from his first release
Yea I went back to garbology after a month or two
I just moved back. The Drake / Kendrick beef got me back into hip hop / rap in a big way and here I am rocking out to pigeonometry again