By: Tony

I have been a fan of Tobacco for a very long time. I think Black Moth Super Rainbow is not only a fantastic band name, but also a fantastic band. His signature electric crunch beats, dirty buzz booms, and bright high synth flows together to produce a very atmospheric feel that is not matched by anybody. When Tobacco collaborates with other artists, especially rappers, they produce catchy, crunchy, and driving songs that you can’t help but bob your head along to. My only complaint for LA UTI, for instance, is that it is too short.

I think Aesop Rock is a great rapper. I think his lyrics are dumbfounding in their complexity while still being able to tell stories, spin yarns, and make jokes. He is flat out a genius lyrically. I find that I like him better when he collaborates thoug, I prefer Hail Mary Mallon’s Beastiary (Whales is too damn catchy) to a lot of his solo work. I think that it is more approachable and tends to have a less grumpy feeling to it. There is just something great when artists come together and combine their styles to create something new. Similarly, I think El-P and Killer Mike are best when they are Run The Jewels.

Aesop Rock was featured in one of my favorite songs by Tobacco, Dirt (off Fucked Up Friends). You can imagine when Malibu Ken was announced as a team-up of Tobacco and Aesop Rock, I was more than a little excited. I was hoping for some old school thump and glitchy electro tunes with complex, engaging rap. When it released last week, I paid actual money for it. This is a big deal in an era when most music can be streamed in one way or another. I think I have bought maybe 4 albums in the last 6 years.

The album is a celebration of trash, depression, the brutality of nature, and a distaste for the normal. All of this over beats reminiscent of King’s Quest point-and-click adventures and arcade side-scroller beat-em-ups. I was expecting more songs similar to TV All Greasy, but got thought-provoking rap over floating, retro vaporwave style beats. It is smooth, grooving, and nostalgic. The beats are driving, but in a casual way. They have more in common with the Hotline Miami soundtrack than I was expecting, but it fits nicely with the message. It addresses the decline and entropy of the times, but accepts the madness instead of lamenting. The album is cohesive and thematic, each song fitting together snugly.

The lyrics are what someone would expect from Aesop Rock, with a lean into trashy subjects. He raps about finding a mushroom growing in his car, and how rapping is just another form of con artistry. One of the songs is about watching an eagle eat a cat like a churro. The imagery is blunt and effective, and he manages to ask ponderous questions about a raw act of nature. We find ourselves wondering how the owner of that cat might have felt seeing the footage. He ties together self deprecating lines about being a TrashHuman and lines calling out people for sinking into the bleak dystopia that we find ourselves in.

If you are looking to broaden your musical taste and possibly nurture your fledgling trash aesthetic, I would highly recommend checking out this album.

This album is recommended if you want:

• Atmospheric, chill beats
• Nostalgic electro sounds
• Rap with depth, stories, humor, and a bit of trash philosophy

This album is not recommended of you want:

• Conventional rap, usually with 6 bars and then a hook you can shout out
• Thumping beats you can get lit and rock out to (I mean, there’s a time and a place for it, sure. I’m just saying this isn’t exactly Shabba)
• Something that isn’t rap (Because this is rap)