The ever-elusive Aesop Rock has resurfaced with a new Rob Shaw-directed video called “The Gates,” the first single from his forthcoming album Spirit World Field Guide.
The project serves as the Rhymesayers Entertainment MC’s first solo album since 2016’s The Impossible Kid and, like that album, is entirely produced by Aes himself (except for “Sleeper Car,” which was produced by Hanni El Khatib and Leon Michels).
Aes’ seventh solo studio effort is a concept album of sorts. As described in a press release, it’s “a guide to an upside-down world illustrated across 21 insightful chapters of firsthand know-how of the terrain, wildlife, and social customs of our parallel universe, rife with hallucinatory images of killer eels, magic spells and people on the run, peppered among anecdotes, recipes, survival tips, warnings, maps, drawings and more.”
As Aes says, “If you are among the countless individuals who find themselves feeling both dead and alive at the same time, the information contained within may serve as an invaluable asset to your journey. Godspeed and good luck.”
The verbose Portland-based artist has been pumped out plenty of material in recent years. In 2018, he and Black Moth Super Rainbow mastermind Tobacco teamed up as Malibu Ken and released their first self-titled collaborative album in January 2019. A few months later, he followed up with the “Rogue Wave” single and the Freedom Finger (Music From The Game) project, a 10-song EP recorded to accompany Travis Millard’s new video game.
Spirit World Field Guide is expected to arrive via Rhymesayers on November 13. In the meantime, pre-order the album here, watch the video up above and check out the cover art and tracklist below.
1. Hello From the Spirit World
2. The Gates
3. Button Masher
4. Dog at the Door
5. Gauze
6. Pizza Alley
7. Crystal Sword
8. Boot Soup
9. Coveralls
10. Jumping Coffin
11. Holy Waterfall
12. Flies
13. Salt
14. Sleeper Car
15. 1 to 10
16. Attaboy
17. Kodokushi
18. Fixed and Dilated
19. Side Quest
20. Marble Cake
21. The Four Winds