View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.0 (342 ratings)
- Date Released: September 18, 2001
- Genre: Hip-Hop/R&B
- Style: Hip-Hop
- Label: Definitive Jux / The Orchard
Labor Days is as good as you remember, possibly better.
-
We Say...
So many musical crimes have been committed in the name of "conscious hip-hop" in the years since Labor Days was released, it's become impossible to consider this gloomy forerunner with anything other than mounting skepticism. You've been in this situation before — returned to a book you loved in college only to find it hamfisted and overwritten, stared at your once-beloved Beat Generation box set with a mixture of dread and shame.
The good news I bring you is this: Labor Days is as good as you remember, possibly better. Aesop's million-syllable-a-second surrealism is still arresting: he lets loose a barrage of sound then yawns out the final word, a weird, disorienting cadence that remains stupefying no matter how many times you hear it. "Fantastic planet urchin putting work in/ Searching for pertinent verse, minus the murderous diversions/ Apologies won't lure me to the communal sob story," he yammers in "Labor," and that's as close to a statement of purpose as he comes.
This would just be a mere parlor trick if it wasn't for the production, which is uniformly breathtaking. A string of icy arpeggios scramble up the center of "Save Yourself," Aes presciently advising: "The next time you want to be a hero, try saving something other than hip-hop." "Flashflood" is mercilessly grim, an inside-out samurai song where pan flutes crash up against swift, stabbing bass lines. And then, of course, there's "Daylight," the monolithic genre-defining song that none of Aes' disciples have come anywhere close to besting. "While the triple sixers lassos keep angels roped in the basement/ I walk the block with a halo and a stick, poking your patience," he announces over that fantastically blunted organ loop. All this time later, that prodding remains just as insistent, just as fantastically unsettling. -
They Say...
After finding an eager online audience for his dense soundscapes and even more complex rhymes, New York MC Aesop Rock released his most potent combination of words and music on his Def Jux debut. Crammed with references to history and mythology, as well as the usual pop-culture name checks, Aesop's lyrics remain unusually verbose and intelligent here, but he's also able to spin them into compelling stories. The best example is the bittersweet, follow-your-dreams saga of "No Regrets," which chronicles a woman's sacrifices for art from childhood to old age. Besides the wealth of detail, the song doesn't sugarcoat the loneliness of its subject, even as it shows her at ease with her choices. And on "9-5ers Anthem," Aesop -- who still works a day job himself -- allays any concerns about him being a hip-hop elitist, offering a shout out to the blue-collar masses. There are still instances where he gives his listeners simply too much information to process for a pop song ("The Tugboat Complex, Pt. 3"), but, overall, he does his best job yet at balancing smarts and accessibility. Of course, with such a focus on lyrics, it's easy to ignore the beats behind them -- but while the sampled backing is sometimes on the plain side, Labor Days contains some inventive bites from classical music, and more than a few tunes will grow on you, if given the chance.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 12 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 12 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Labor |
2:32 |
|
| 02. | |
Daylight |
4:26 |
|
| 03. | |
Save Yourself |
4:59 |
|
| 04. | |
Flashflood |
3:54 |
|
| 05. | |
No Regrets |
4:31 |
|
| 06. | |
One Brick feat. Illogic
|
4:32 |
|
| 07. | |
The Tugboat Complex pt. 3 |
3:46 |
|
| 08. | |
Coma |
3:56 |
|
| 09. | |
Battery |
5:07 |
|
| 10. | |
Boombox |
5:05 |
|
| 11. | |
Bent Life feat. C-Rayz Walz
|
4:49 |
|
| 12. | |
The Yes and The Y'all |
4:04 |
|
| 13. | |
9-5er's Anthem |
4:38 |
|
| 14. | |
Shovel |
4:45 |
|
14 Total Tracks, 61:04 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Aesop Rock, check out these member playlists
Credits
- Illogic - Performer // Omega One - Scratching // Omega One - Producer // Emily Lazar - Mastering // Aesop Rock - Vocals // Aesop Rock - Producer // Aesop Rock - Engineer // Aesop Rock - Main Performer // Dan Ezra Lang - Art Direction // Dan Ezra Lang - Design
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC