Aesop Rock 2005-2007: Fast Cars EP, None Shall Pass, Nike+iPod What is significant about the Fast Cars EP? In February 2005, Aesop Rock released a new EP, Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives. What singles were released from that? but with an additional bonus track, "Facemelter". How did that song do? In response to demands from his fans, Rock did less production on the EP: three songs are produced by Blockhead, three produced by Aesop, and one by Rob Sonic. How well did it do on the charts? I don't know.
Was there any other singles released?
Besides "Facemelter", was there any other singles released from the EP Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives?
In February 2005, Aesop Rock released a new EP, Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives. The first pressing of the EP included an 88-page booklet with lyrics from every release from Float until this EP (the lyric booklet is titled The Living Human Curiosity Sideshow); later pressings of the album come without the booklet, but with an additional bonus track, "Facemelter". In addition, a limited number of albums were available direct from Def Jux with Aesop Rock's graffiti tag on them. In response to demands from his fans, Rock did less production on the EP: three songs are produced by Blockhead, three produced by Aesop, and one by Rob Sonic. During this time he was asked to join The Weathermen to replace Vast Aire.  Aesop Rock was commissioned to create a 45-minute instrumental track for the Nike+iPod running system, entitled All Day. It was released in February 2007. Distributed via the iTunes Music Store and featuring his wife Allyson Baker on guitar and scratches from DJ Big Wiz, Aesop has described the release as "something that evolved enough that the sound was constantly fresh and attractive, as though the runner were moving through a set of differing cities or landscapes."  All Day was followed in August of the same year by Bavitz's fifth full-length album, None Shall Pass released in 2007. The album also contained original artwork by Jeremy Fish. About Jeremy Fish, Aesop Rock said: "Man that guy is my hero. We have a friend in common who hit me up a while back saying that this guy Jeremy Fish had an opportunity to pitch a cartoon to Disney and wanted me to be involved in the music side. I flipped out cuz I was also a fan of his, and owned some of his work." Aesop Rock also teamed up with Jeremy Fish again in a project called Ghosts of the Barbary Coast. Aesop Rock made a song called "Tomorrow Morning", to go along with a slideshow of drawings that Jeremy Fish drew. This was displayed in San Francisco, but was also made available for download online. None Shall Pass had positive reviews from critics and fans, applauding Aesop for his change in sound. CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer residing in Portland, Oregon. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was signed to El-P's Definitive Jux label until it went on hiatus in 2010. In a 2010 retrospective, betterPropaganda ranked him at number 19 at the Top 100 Artists of the Decade.

He released his first album, Music for Earthworms, in 1997, with Float following 3 years later. Labor Days, his third studio album, was released on September 18, 2001. His next release came two years later, titled Bazooka Tooth, released on September 23, 2003. His fourth studio album, None Shall Pass, was released on August 28, 2007. Its titular song became one of Ian's most popular and well-known songs. His seventh record, Skelethon, was released on July 10, 2012. His seventh release, The Impossible Kid, came out on April 29, 2016. His eighth and most recent album, Spirit World Field Guide, came out on November 13, 2020.

He is a member of the groups The Weathermen, Hail Mary Mallon (with Rob Sonic & DJ Big Wiz), The Uncluded (with Kimya Dawson) and Malibu Ken (with Tobacco).

Regarding his name, he said: "I acquired the name Aesop from a movie I had acted in with some friends. It was my character's name and it sort of stuck. The rock part came later just from throwing it in rhymes."

Early life and education

Early and personal life 
Bavitz was born at Syosset Hospital in Syosset, New York, and raised in Northport, Long Island, New York to his father Paul and mother Jameija. Ian has two brothers: Christopher T. Bavitz (born 1973), a clinical professor at Harvard Law School and director of Cyberlaw Clinic at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, and Graham J. Bavitz (born 1978). Along with his siblings, Ian was raised Catholic, but he later became agnostic. Bavitz attended Northport High School in 1990 and graduated in 1994. In 2005, he married Allyson Baker, guitarist and vocalist of rock band Dirty Ghosts; they resided in San Francisco, but have since divorced.

1994–1998: College 
After graduating from high school, Bavitz attended Boston University in Massachusetts where he studied visual arts. He acquired his bachelor's in 1998. He met his future collaborator, Blockhead, in 1994 during the latter's only year at the school. After hearing Aesop Rock freestyle, Blockhead decided to forgo his own dreams of rapping in favor of focusing on production. Blockhead was involved with a crew in New York called The Overground that included Dub-L. During his early adulthood, Aesop Rock held various odd jobs including positions answering phones for clothing catalogs, packaging artwork in art gallery storerooms and working for one-hour photo developers.

Musical career

1985–2001: New York City underground music scene 
As a youth, Bavitz and his family would usually commute to New York City. This had a great impact on him and the way he viewed the hip hop culture. Bavitz began rapping in the early 1990s. He cites Public Enemy, BDP, KMD, and Run DMC as early influences. Bavitz also listened to rock acts such as Dead Kennedys, Fugazi, and Ministry; he was introduced to these groups by his older brother Chris. Bavitz started to play the piano and bass at an early age and eventually acquired a sampler.

While attending college, Bavitz initially recorded and released two self-financed efforts, Music for Earthworms (1997), a full-length featuring underground artist Percee P on two tracks. Bavitz also released a music video for "Abandon All Hope", which was one of the tracks on the CD. The album sold over 300 copies, largely from a grassroots internet-based promotion at his website AesopRock.com and then-popular web portal, MP3.com. With the money he made from his previous release, he then released his Appleseed EP in 1999 which received critical acclaim in the underground hip-hop circuit. His early records were mostly produced by his long-time friend Blockhead and underground producer Dub-L.

After his breakthrough success in the underground hip hop and indie rap community, he was eventually noticed by the Mush label and obtained his first record deal in 1999, just a year after he graduated from college. Aesop released his first major album, Float (2000), with guest appearances from Vast Aire, Slug, and Dose One. Production was split between Blockhead and Aesop himself, with one track by Omega One. During this time, Aesop worked at a photography gallery. In August 2001, Bavitz had a nervous breakdown. The song "One of Four" on his Daylight EP documents his struggles.

2001–2004: Labor Days, Daylight EP, and Bazooka Tooth 
Shortly after releasing Float, Aesop Rock signed to Manhattan-based label Definitive Jux (commonly shortened to Def Jux), where he released Labor Days (2001), an album dedicated to the discussion of labor in American society and the concept of "wage slaves". This album was most well known for its single "Daylight". Because of its popularity, Daylight was re-released in 2002 as a seven-track EP, including an "alternative" new version of the song "Night Light", whose paraphrased lyrics simultaneously refer back to, and stand in stark opposition to, the original's. The song "Labor" (from Labor Days) was featured in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4; it also was the first album in his catalog to break through the Billboard charts, peaking at number 15 at the United States Independent Charts.

Labor Days was followed by Bazooka Tooth in 2003. For the first time, production was mostly handled by Bavitz himself, with three tracks from longtime collaborator Blockhead and one from close friend and Definitive Jux label CEO El-P. Guest appearances include Party Fun Action Committee, El-P, and Mr. Lif (all Definitive Jux labelmates) and Camp Lo. With this release Aesop hit a higher level of recognition, releasing "No Jumper Cables" as a single and music video, then another single, "Freeze", shortly after. A remix of "No Jumper Cables" was featured on Tony Hawk's Underground 2, furthering Aesop's recognition. In 2004, he released Build Your Own Bazooka Tooth and created a contest in which contestants had to create a remix of an Aesop Rock song using the a cappellas and instrumentals.

2005–2007: Fast Cars EP, None Shall Pass and Nike+iPod 
In February 2005, Aesop Rock released a new EP, Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives. The first pressing of the EP included an 88-page booklet with lyrics from every release from Float until this EP (the lyric booklet is titled The Living Human Curiosity Sideshow); later pressings of the album come without the booklet, but with an additional bonus track, "Facemelter". In addition, a limited number of albums were available direct from Def Jux with Aesop Rock's graffiti tag on them. In response to demands from his fans, Bavitz did less production on the EP; three songs are produced by Blockhead, three produced by Aesop, and one by Rob Sonic. During this time, he was asked to join The Weathermen to replace Vast Aire.

Aesop Rock was commissioned to create a 45-minute instrumental track for the Nike+iPod running system, entitled All Day. It was released in February 2007. Distributed via the iTunes Music Store and featuring Allyson Baker on guitar and with scratches from DJ Big Wiz, Aesop has described the release as "something that evolved enough that the sound was constantly fresh and attractive, as though the runner were moving through a set of differing cities or landscapes."

All Day was followed in August of the same year by Bavitz's fifth full-length album, None Shall Pass, released in 2007. The album also contained original artwork by Jeremy Fish. About Jeremy Fish, Aesop Rock said: "Man, that guy is my hero. We have a friend in common who hit me up a while back saying that this guy Jeremy Fish had an opportunity to pitch a cartoon to Disney and wanted me to be involved in the music side. I flipped out cuz I was also a fan of his, and owned some of his work." Aesop Rock also teamed up with Jeremy Fish again in a project called Ghosts of the Barbary Coast. Aesop Rock made a song called "Tomorrow Morning" to go along with a slideshow of Jeremy Fish drawings. This was displayed in San Francisco, but was also made available for download online. None Shall Pass had positive reviews from critics and fans, applauding Aesop for his change in sound.

2007–2011: Hiatus 
In February 2010, El-P announced that the label would be put "on hiatus," aside from selling its catalog and merchandise. During this time, Bavitz was absent in terms of making any new albums or EPs, albeit being featured on other artists' records and producing.

2008–2013: Rhymesayers, HMM, Kimya Dawson and Skelethon 
In 2009, Bavitz produced Felt's third album, Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez.

On April 20, 2011, it was announced that Rhymesayers Entertainment would release Hail Mary Mallon's debut album Are You Going To Eat That?. A music video for their first single off the album Smock was announced that same day.

In November 2011, Bavitz announced via Reddit that he was working on his next solo album, and had a majority of it complete.

In December 2011, Aesop Rock was first reported to be working on an album with anti-folk singer Kimya Dawson, famous for being one half of the group The Moldy Peaches. The working title for the project was Hokey Fright. The group has since been named The Uncluded.

On January 17, 2012, it was reported that Aesop Rock finished recording his upcoming solo album Skelethon, which was scheduled to be released on July 10, 2012, through Rhymesayers Entertainment.

On April 10, 2012, the first official single from Aesop Rock's Rhymesayers debut album Skelethon, "Zero Dark Thirty", was released on both SoundCloud and YouTube. As of April 20, 2012, the song had already received combined plays/views of 86,434. Skelethon was released on July 10, 2012.

On February 11, 2013, the first music video from The Uncluded was released on YouTube, and the duo's first album Hokey Fright was released on May 7, 2013. The album will consist of 16 tracks. The video for their third single "Delicate Cycle" has a cameo by the celebrity cat Lil Bub.

2013–present: The Impossible Kid, Malibu Ken and Spirit World Field Guide 
Aesop Rock toured the United States to promote Skelethon. He has also been touring with Kimya Dawson and performing material as The Uncluded. Along with playing a number of individual events, The Uncluded performed as part of a Rhymesayers lineup at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On the Skelethon tour, a majority of his touring equipment was stolen, prompting Aesop to raise funds by releasing limited edition artwork. It was announced he will be performing on the first day of Coachella 2013.

In February 2016, Aesop Rock released a music video for the song "Rings" and announced his seventh studio album The Impossible Kid, which was released on April 29, 2016. "Rings" was featured in the video game Madden NFL 17.

In 2017, Aesop Rock scored his first film soundtrack for Bushwick. In January 2019, Aesop Rock collaborated with electronic musician Tobacco under the name Malibu Ken. The duo released a self-titled album in the same month. In late 2020, Aesop announced his eighth solo album, titled Spirit World Field Guide, along with the release of the album's first single, "The Gates". In October 2021, Aesop announced a reunion with his former producer Blockhead with an upcoming album titled Garbology. The album was released on November 12 of the same year.

Lyrics 

Bavitz's lyrics are generally seen as being both complex and abstract while others dismiss them as verbose. His frequent use of homonyms exacerbates this. Critics state that the use of words can be so detailed that it becomes difficult to determine any meaning. The lyrics are sometimes inspired by events which have occurred in Bavitz's personal life and are thus naturally prone to subjective interpretation by outsiders.

Questioned about his lyrical style in an interview, Bavitz responded:
It's probably because it's not the most accessible music in the world. It may pose a slight challenge to the listener beyond your average pop song. I'm no genius by a long shot, but these songs are not nonsensical, that's pretty preposterous. I'd have to be a genius to pull this many nonsensical records over people's eyes. It's not exactly fast food but when people pretend I'm just spewing non-sequiturs and gibberish I can't help but think they simply haven't listened and are regurgitating some rumor they've heard about me. Even if it's not laid out in perfect sentences—is any rap?—you'd have to be an idiot to not at least grasp a few things from these songs. Or have had no interest in pulling anything from them in the first place.

In 2002, on the song "One of Four" (a hidden track on the Daylight EP) Aesop Rock explains:
But I can tell you that I only write shit down when I believe it / so take this how you want but know I mean it.
— Aesop Rock, "One of Four" Daylight EP (2002)

In May 2014, a study by Matt Daniels found that Aesop Rock's vocabulary in his music surpassed 85 other major hip-hop and rap artists, as well as Shakespeare's works and Herman Melville's Moby Dick; he was cited as having the largest vocabulary in hip hop. To build up his vocabulary, he reads a lot of news and science articles and writes down all the words he finds interesting. Analysis of his lyrics identified him as the rapper with the most expansive vocabulary; using the most unique words in a rapper's first 35,000 lyrics, he had 7,839 unique words.

Discography 

 Music for Earthworms (1997)
 Float (2000)
 Labor Days (2001)
 Bazooka Tooth (2003)
 None Shall Pass (2007)
 Skelethon (2012)
 The Impossible Kid (2016)
 Spirit World Field Guide (2020)
 Garbology (with Blockhead) (2021)

Filmography

References

External links 

 
 
 
Mush Records Biography
Aesop Rock interview and profile in Exclaim! magazine

1976 births
Alternative hip hop musicians
American agnostics
American electronic musicians
American graffiti artists
American hip hop record producers
American multi-instrumentalists
American male rappers
Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni
East Coast hip hop musicians
Former Roman Catholics
Living people
People from Syosset, New York
Psychedelic drug advocates
Rappers from New York (state)
Underground artists
Underground rappers
People from Northport, New York
Rhymesayers Entertainment artists
21st-century American rappers
Record producers from New York (state)
21st-century American male musicians
Definitive Jux artists
Mush Records artists
The Weathermen (hip hop group) members
"(If There Was) Any Other Way" is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion. It was included on her first English-language album, Unison (1990). "(If There Was) Any Other Way" was released by Columbia Records as the album's lead single in Canada on 26 March 1990. The next year, it was issued as the second single in other countries. The song was written by Paul Bliss, while production was handled by Christopher Neil.

After its release, "(If There Was) Any Other Way" received positive reviews from music critics. The song peaked at number 23 in Canada and number 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, it became a success on the adult contemporary charts, reaching number eight in the United States and number 12 in Canada. Two accompanying music videos for the song were filmed. Dion performed "(If There Was) Any Other Way" during her Unison Tour (1990–91).

Background and release
In 1990, Dion was preparing to issue her first English-language album, Unison. After releasing various French-language albums in Canada and France in the '80s, she recorded new English songs in London, Los Angeles and New York. At first, Unison was released in Canada, and "(If There Was) Any Other Way" was chosen as its lead single. Written by British musician, Paul Bliss, and produced by British record producer, Christopher Neil, it was issued on 26 March 1990.

One year later on 18 March 1991, "(If There Was) Any Other Way" was released as the second single in the United States after "Where Does My Heart Beat Now". For the US market the single was remixed by Walter Afanasieff. This US version features a different audio mix from the Canadian single version and the album version: reverb has been applied throughout (most noticeably to Dion's vocal track), the guitars have been rebalanced so that they are less audible in some places in the song and more prominent in others, the drum track features "rimshot" effects during the chorus, additional synthesizer lines have been overdubbed onto the existing keyboard track (most noticeably in the bar before the instrumental break), and the fadeout has been slightly extended in length. It was also used in the American music video of the song that year. Additionally "(If There Was) Any Other Way" was remixed by Daniel Abraham, a French record producer living in New York. His dance remixes appeared on a promotional US single.

"(If There Was) Any Other Way" was also released as a single in selected European countries, Australia, and Japan in June 1991.

Critical reception
AllMusic's senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine picked the song as an album standout along with "Where Does My Heart Beat Now". Larry Flick from Billboard noted that Dion "continues to soar" with a "spirited, up-tempo" song. He complimented the "crystalline production and shimmering backup vocal support combined with a passionate lead performance". Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report wrote about the song: "Nothing like witnessing the growth and development of a genuine artist. Celine definitely falls into that category, capturing the hearts of Americans the way she's been doing in her native Canada for the past several years. Switching from torch song to snappy rhythm affords listeners an opportunity to hear another side of this wonderful talent". Music & Media noted that "talented Canadian chanteuse enters the Whitney Houston racket" and described it as "satisfying AC pop." Christopher Smith from TalkAboutPopMusic described it as a "pop-soft rock mid tempo number".

Commercial performance
In Canada "(If There Was) Any Other Way" entered the RPM Top Singles chart on 31 March 1990 and peaked at number twenty-three on 9 June 1990. The song also entered the RPM Adult Contemporary chart on 24 March 1990 and reached number twelve there. In the United States "(If There Was) Any Other Way" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, dated 6 April 1991, and peaked at number thirty-five on 1 June 1991. The track also entered Billboards Adult Contemporary chart dated 30 March 1991, reaching number eight.

Music video
There were two music videos made for the song. The first one was directed by Derek Case and released in March 1990 for the Canadian market. The second one was filmed for the US market in Los Angeles, California, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was directed by Dominic Orlando and premiered in March 1991. The two videos were included separately on Dion's 1991 home video Unison, depending on the Canadian or US release.

Live performances
Dion performed "(If There Was) Any Other Way" on a few Canadian television shows in 1990. She also sang it on the Canadian/US variety show, Super Dave and performed it in Norway in 1991. It was included in her Unison Tour as well.

Track listings and formatsAustralian 7", cassette, CD / Canadian 7" single"(If There Was) Any Other Way" – 3:59
"(If There Was) Any Other Way" (Instrumental) – 3:59Canadian cassette / European 3", 7" / Japanese 3" single"(If There Was) Any Other Way" – 3:59
"I'm Loving Every Moment With You" – 4:08European 12", CD single"(If There Was) Any Other Way" – 3:59
"I'm Loving Every Moment With You" – 4:08
"If We Could Start Over" – 4:23US 7" single"(If There Was) Any Other Way" – 3:59
"Where Does My Heart Beat Now" – 4:33US cassette single"(If There Was) Any Other Way" (Walter Afanasieff Remix) – 4:13
"Where Does My Heart Beat Now" – 4:33US promotional CD single'
"(If There Was) Any Other Way" (Daniel Abraham's 7" Remix) – 3:54
"(If There Was) Any Other Way" (Daniel Abraham's 12" Remix) – 5:39

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Credits and personnel
Recording
Recorded at West Side Studios, London

Personnel
Celine Dion – lead and backing vocals
Christopher Neil – producer, backing vocals
Phil Palmer – guitars
Paul Bliss – songwriter, drums, keyboard programming, backing vocals
Simon Hurrell – engineer
Walter Afanasieff – additional producer, keyboards, percussion (Remix only)
Daniel Abraham – additional producer (Dance Remix only)

Release history

References

External links

1990 singles
1990 songs
Celine Dion songs
Columbia Records singles
Dance-pop songs
Epic Records singles
Song recordings produced by Christopher Neil /  is a single by Japanese girl group Melon Kinenbi. It was released in two versions, the first of which was released as an indies single in 2006, and the second of which was released as a major single in 2007. The major single release peaked at #50 on the Oricon weekly chart.

"Onegai Miwaku no Target/Crazy Happy!" was originally released in 2006 as a double A-side indies single. In 2007, Onegai Miwaku no Target was remixed and re-released as a major single, for which a PV was created. Crazy Happy! has not as yet been released on any other CD. Onegai Miwaku no Target - Original new ver. was used as the ending theme of the TV Tokyo music programme Onryū ~On Ryu~.

On March 31, 2012, the idol group Up-Up Girls from Up-Front Agency released this with a new arrangement as the b-side to their indies debut single, Going my ↑.

Track listing

Indies Version

Crazy Happy!

Major Version

External links
Onegai Miwaku no Target (Major) at the Up-Front Works discography listing (Japanese)

2006 singles
2007 singles
Zetima Records singles
2006 songs