So So Strange
Blockhead On the New Lice EP from Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman
By Kyle Eustice
Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman ushered in Christmas a little early this year when they decided to drop a surprise EP on Monday, November 30 via Stones Throw Records. Titled Lice, the five-track EP features production from DJ Spinna, Optiks, Alex "Apex" Gale and former collaborator, Blockhead, who did much of the work on Aesop Rock's 2008 effort, None Shall Pass.
"It's always fun to do stuff with Aes," Blockhead, real name Tony Simon, says. "Add on that I got to work with Homeboy Sandman for the first time and that was a huge bonus.
Simon couldn't really go into too much detail about the concept, he left that up to Homebody Sandman and Aesop Rock.
"They were making an EP, needed beats and picked that beat," he says. "It doesn't go much deeper than that."
Simon is responsible for the beat on "Environmental Studies," a chill, almost hypnotizing track and easily the best on the album. The combination of Homeboy Sandman's laid-back rhyming style and Aesop's signature cryptic lyrics make an interesting match; it's a little odd, but somehow it works. With Aesop on the West Coast, Simon in New York City and Homebody Sandman on the East Coast, as well, they had to use some technological tricks to get the album done, not uncommon in the internet era.
"It was all done over email," he explains. "Everyone recorded their parts in their own spaces. Aesop and Sandman wrote their stuff together and were definitely communicating about the process a good deal though."
"So Strange Here," another standout track, starts to wind down the nearly 20-minute offering. It leaves the listener wanting more, especially those who are fans of the Blockhead-Aesop collaborations. There is, however, no talk of another album or joint tour from the two.
"It doesn't really make sense for me to play with him cause I'm not a DJ," he explains. "What I do live is very separate of what he needs out of a live show. I could open for him as a solo artist, which I've done before, but, honestly, it doesn't make sense for me financially. Also, it's weird playing laptop sets for rap audiences. It doesn't translate very well to them."
"[Another album] is certainly possible," he says. "Nothing is planned outside of a remix I did for his new album, but that's never off the table with us."
Please visit https://soundcloud.com/stonesthrow/sets/lice/s-htLts to check out the EP now.
Blockhead speaks on the new Lice EP from Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman
So So Strange
Blockhead On the New Lice EP from Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman
By Kyle Eustice
Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman ushered in Christmas a little early this year when they decided to drop a surprise EP on Monday, November 30 via Stones Throw Records. Titled Lice, the five-track EP features production from DJ Spinna, Optiks, Alex "Apex" Gale and former collaborator, Blockhead, who did much of the work on Aesop Rock's 2008 effort, None Shall Pass.
"It's always fun to do stuff with Aes," Blockhead, real name Tony Simon, says. "Add on that I got to work with Homeboy Sandman for the first time and that was a huge bonus.
Simon couldn't really go into too much detail about the concept, he left that up to Homebody Sandman and Aesop Rock.
"They were making an EP, needed beats and picked that beat," he says. "It doesn't go much deeper than that."
Simon is responsible for the beat on "Environmental Studies," a chill, almost hypnotizing track and easily the best on the album. The combination of Homeboy Sandman's laid-back rhyming style and Aesop's signature cryptic lyrics make an interesting match; it's a little odd, but somehow it works. With Aesop on the West Coast, Simon in New York City and Homebody Sandman on the East Coast, as well, they had to use some technological tricks to get the album done, not uncommon in the internet era.
"It was all done over email," he explains. "Everyone recorded their parts in their own spaces. Aesop and Sandman wrote their stuff together and were definitely communicating about the process a good deal though."
"So Strange Here," another standout track, starts to wind down the nearly 20-minute offering. It leaves the listener wanting more, especially those who are fans of the Blockhead-Aesop collaborations. There is, however, no talk of another album or joint tour from the two.
"It doesn't really make sense for me to play with him cause I'm not a DJ," he explains. "What I do live is very separate of what he needs out of a live show. I could open for him as a solo artist, which I've done before, but, honestly, it doesn't make sense for me financially. Also, it's weird playing laptop sets for rap audiences. It doesn't translate very well to them."
"[Another album] is certainly possible," he says. "Nothing is planned outside of a remix I did for his new album, but that's never off the table with us."
Please visit https://soundcloud.com/stonesthrow/sets/lice/s-htLts to check out the EP now.
