Aesop Waits - Tom Shall Pass

December 4, 2014 6:42 AM

Tom Shall Pass - Tom Waits x Aesop Rock. Someone using the name Aesop Waits released Tom Shall Pass this year, with remixed Tom Waits music beds underpinning vocal tracks from rapper Aesop Rock’s acclaimed 2007 album None Shall Pass, and I’ll be damned if it ain’t half bad at all. Since Waits’ old-timey rhythms and timbres don’t easily lend themselves to hip-hop treatment, the DJ here had to go to some effort to make this combination work, and to my reckoning, he (she?) did a good bit better than 50/50—the demented circus-falling-down-a-flight-of-stairs stylings of Waits’ music complements Aesop’s complex and impressionistic lyrics better than I’d have guessed.

Tracklist:
1. Reeperlawn

2. None in Japan

3. Undercomb Kids

4. Pluto's Away on Business / Bring Back Edward

5. All the World is Fumes

6. Getaway Rain

7. Shore Thieves

8. Singapore Harbor is Yours

9. Citronella Eyeball

10. Knife Dance for the Whole Family

11. Five Finger Temptation

12. Dirt City

13. Dark Heart of Istanbul

14. Coffee Out West

15. Chocopigs

Aesop Rock Previously

Tom Waits Previously

posted by Ufez Jones (16 comments total)

As a Tom Waits fan, hearing this is painful.
posted by sonic meat machine at 6:50 AM on December 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

Actually, this is pretty awesome and now I would love to see Tom Waits actually collaborate with a rapper. I say this as a huge waits fan and as someone who is largely indifferent to hip hop.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 7:02 AM on December 4, 2014

and now I would love to see Tom Waits actually collaborate with a rapper.

It's happened before.
posted by Nolsto at 7:08 AM on December 4, 2014 [2 favorites]

Nothing can be as bad as what they did to Way Down In The Hole for Season 5 of The Wire.
posted by Artw at 7:13 AM on December 4, 2014 [4 favorites]

Ace did a whole album with singer songwriter Kimya Dawson. They called themselves The Uncluded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHYhzg8QWbI
posted by subtle_squid at 7:14 AM on December 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

Paging Shepherd to the white courtesy phone....
posted by Kitteh at 7:19 AM on December 4, 2014

the demented circus-falling-down-a-flight-of-stairs stylings of Waits’ music

I have long wanted to start keeping a list of the metaphors people use to describe Tom Waits' music and/or voice. They're always so completely out-there.

and now I would love to see Tom Waits actually collaborate with a rapper.

Now all I can think of is this.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:21 AM on December 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

Huge Waits fan here. "Singapore Harbor is Yours" is actually pretty great, though some of these others leave me cold.
posted by GrammarMoses at 7:24 AM on December 4, 2014

Can't wait to listen to this, but you should all know the Tom Waits mashup game is already won.
posted by Peccable at 7:28 AM on December 4, 2014 [5 favorites]

Let me be the first to say: "sick beats".
posted by mean square error at 7:40 AM on December 4, 2014

Wow, this all works really well!
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 7:42 AM on December 4, 2014

Tom Waits and Aesop rock are huge musical touchstones in my life. I expected to be dissapointed by this but I think there is actually a lot to like here.

That N.A.S.A. track has Tom sing the hook which brings a fun texture but doesn't really end up sounding all that unique. I really like that this mashup is mostly about Ace's vocals over Tom's music. The result is a little hit or miss but it all has a very suprising vibe i'm still working to get my head around. There is something here for sure.
posted by subtle_squid at 7:46 AM on December 4, 2014

Holy biscuits, this really works for me!
posted by Ravneson at 10:13 AM on December 4, 2014

Everyone from Northport thinks this is tops!
posted by grumpybear69 at 11:29 AM on December 4, 2014

I've mixed Clap Hands with Abandon All Hope at gigs before, glad to see that one isn't here. :)
posted by Theta States at 1:58 PM on December 4, 2014

Most of these seemed to simply suck the organic life out of the Waits music and cycle it into a boring loop. The ones that worked as remixes (e.g. the Underground one) were cool until the rapping started. As a Waits and a rap fan I would love to hear some real collaborations, and sorry to be grumpy, but this mostly just makes me want to listen to Tom Waits.
posted by transient at 7:05 PM on December 4, 2014 [1 favorite]