Throughout his decade-plus career, Aesop Rock has always seemed to be a man who followed his own muse. Even when he essentially became the Def Jux label’s flagship MC a few years back, he still retained a very distinct identity, never really feeling like a mere appendage of the label, unlike, say, El-P or Cannibal Ox. Most telling of his iconoclasm, perhaps, was his 2003 release, “Bazooka Tooth.” After the very positive response to 2001’s “Labor Days,” Aesop decided to produce most of his next album himself, ending his two-album run with producer Blockhead, and ended up with one of the least accessible (though quite interesting) rap albums this side of cLOUDDEAD. If “Labor Days” had attracted a following, “Bazooka Tooth” almost seemed like an attempt to shed those new fans.

In light of this history, “None Shall Pass” is quite a surprise in its immediacy. Blockhead returns to the production seat in a big way, helming half of the album’s 14 tracks (five of the

Even if nothing has changed in his words, “None Shall Pass” contains some of the best songs Aesop has ever made. The title track, “Bring Back Pluto,” and “No City,” all of which were produced by Blockhead, are fantastic and stand with some of Aesop’s all-time greatest songs. El-P shows up for two songs, “39 Thieves” and “Gun for the Whole Family,” the latter of which he produced, and their collaborations are as satisfying as they always are. The album’s best song, though, is “The Harbor is Yours,” a pirate tale (who doesn’t love pirates?) featuring Aesop Rock’s clearest storytelling lyrics since “Labor Days’” “No Regrets,” a great stuttering vocal line and a deliciously funky beat from Blockhead. Also of note is the final track, “Coffee,” which features, oddly enough, John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. Best of all, unlike many hip-hop albums, the momentum is kept up throughout the album and the last half doesn’t drag much.

Despite the strong track list, somehow “None Shall Pass” feels like it lacks cohesion. While “Labor Days” (perhaps because it was a concept album) and his pre-Def Jux albums all felt like unified wholes, “None Shall Pass” feels more like a slightly unfocused collection of tracks, albeit very good ones. This, admittedly, is something of a minor gripe and is only really apparent if you’re familiar with Aesop’s earlier work. Even if you are, though, it’s hard to argue with the quality of the songs here, especially after the relative disappointments of “Bazooka Tooth” and the “Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives” EP, released in 2005. All in all, “None Shall Pass” feels like both a return to form and a consolidation of Aesop Rock’s (and Blockhead’s) strengths. And if it feels a little thrown together, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s one of the best albums of Aesop’s career and certainly one of the best hip-hop albums to come out this year.

grade: a-

Ben Stevens

Bowerbirds − “Hymns for a Dark Horse”

There is a particular tremor of feeling that all music fans search for, the shudder that begins in the ears and trickles on through the rest of the body. It is the joy of discovering a new sound, of hearing a band take familiar elements and make them new again. In their modest way, that is the accomplishment of alt-folk group Bowerbirds on their debut album “Hymns for a Dark Horse.” Using guitar, accordion, drums, violin and pleasing vocals, the band creates a kind of jazzy folk that is dark, compact, and glittering. A hunk of obsidian in a forest clearing. Everything is driven forward with powerful melodies and a confident beat, quiet moments of musical doodling nicely balanced with loud, exuberant choruses. The lyrics revolve around environmental issues, calling humankind out for its disrespect and destruction. That may sound impossibly heavy-handed on paper, but set to their delicate, propulsive, and beautiful tunes it is the most natural thing in the world.

grade: b

MIA - “Kala”

Maya Arulpragasam has released one of the year’s most accomplished pop albums and proved that, even with allegations of terrorist sympathies, you can get major label distribution in America. Standout tracks like “Jimmy”, three and a half minutes of loopy, saccharine disco, showcase M.I.A’s sonically ambitious style and remarkable talent for incorporating an eclectic array of influences within the framework of a cohesive album. Arulpragasam traveled extensively during the recording of the album, and as a result, it resembles a sort of musical travelogue—including Bollywood samples, a collaboration with Australian child-rappers Wilcannia Mob, production credits from Baltimore’s Blaqstarr, and the recurring lyrical motif of Africa. All of these factors render a final product that is conceptually fascinating, but more importantly, a lot of fun.

grade: a

bryan sonderman

Minus The Bear − “Planet of the Ice”

It’s official: Minus the Bear are stuck in a serious holding pattern. 2005’s “Menos el Oso” failed to break any new ground on the catchy, pseudo-math rock they had developed so well on their first album and two EPs, but usually such water treading is limited to one album for most bands worth hearing. Sadly, “Planet of Ice” continues along exactly as the previous albums did. The band almost feels afraid to try anything new, as little glimpses of experimentation periodically surface throughout the album, but are never allowed to develop. Granted, this isn’t a bad album, some of the songs are actually quite nice, it’s just stagnant and a letdown considering how good “Highly Refined Pirates” and their two EPs were.

grade: c+

ben stevens

Le Loup - “The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nation”

The best way to describe Le Loup, a septuplet from Washington D.C., is with this mathematical equation that is just about as complex and
long winded as their debut album title: Arcade Fire + Sufjan Stevens+ rhythmic experimentations + Animal Collective= Le Loup. The album is titled after artist James Hampton’s life long work, which I encourage you to check out. “Le Loup (Fear Not)” is the centerpiece and easily one of the best songs on the album; a song that begins with the twanging of the banjo followed by the swelling of layered vocals, guitars, samples, handclaps, and other instruments. And this seems to be the formula for every song on the album. “The Throne” is short and the banjo and the prentiousness of it all becomes tiring. After listening to Le Loup, I just want to listen to more Animal Collective.

grade: c-

matt coleman

New Pornographers - “Challenger”

Call it “mature,” if you want. I call it boring. “Challengers,” the newest album from Canada’s sweethearts the New Pornographers, has made a change for the demure that is ill at ease when played for fans of their older, more fun-loving sound. A personification of this change: old songs = walking to class in the sun and dancing. New songs = background fodder for conversations in long car rides. Neko Case, one of the two lady singers for the pop outfit, takes a backseat for this album, which only hurts the effort. The lack of her intense vocals makes too much A.C. Newman just sound whiny, and even the well-honed harmonizing this band excels at can’t take away the annoyance factor in the many overly-repetitive hooks throughout “Challengers.” Where before the Pornos were young at heart and playful, fewer instruments and less creative production make their new sound simply sophomoric. Only a few of the songs here are really actually bad, but even the best doesn’t match up to the worst song on 2003’s “Mass Romantic.”

grade: c+

katie presley

DOWN - “The Ill Over The Under”

Rising like a stoner-metal Swamp Thing from the bayous of Louisiana, Down delivers a bottom-heavy bludgeoning with “Over the Under,” their first release in five years and finest since 1995’s poser-disposer masterstroke “NOLA.” Comprising the frontman and bassist of legendary ‘90s metal gods Pantera, alongside dope-worn scum-fucks culled from Corrosion of Conformity, Eyehategod and Crowbar, Down purveys a particularly weeded brand of Southern-fried metal played at, like, point-five BPM. It works so well by reasoning that, kind of like a Band-Aid, slower hurts a lot more. With the crushing stomp of “N.O.D.,” “On March the Saints’” AC/DC-meets-heroin swagger and the 9-minute bong rip “Beneath the Tides,” Full Metal Phil and crew wreak havoc like a slow-motion hurricane.

grade: a