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Aug 22, 2016 Web Exclusive By Kyle Mullin

Aesop Rock reveals the meaning behind his new LP’s title on its best track, “Get In the Car.” Over a pulsing bass line and a tight, flexing guitar riff (with nary a beat in earshot) the MC spits: “Watch The Impossible Kid/everything that he touched turns promptly to shit.” Such third person self-deprecation seems unbecoming of an MC who was recently touted as the genre’s most verbose (according to a 2014 study conducted by code and analyst). And yet, the rapper spends much of The Impossible Kid sorting through such disdain for self.

“Shrunk,” is another shining example of such harrowing introspection. Over a careening guitar riff and pounding percussion, Rock details a strained conversation between a patient and therapist. On “Rings,” he details an apocalyptic hallucination, while “Water Tower,” chronicles a claustrophobic stint in a psych ward. Fans will be equally impressed by the more low key “Blood Sandwich,” on which Rock recalls the strife of his youth. (www.rhymesayers.com/aesoprock)

Author rating: 8/10