Skelethon

Skelethon
Skelethon
Studio album by Aesop Rock
Released	July 10, 2012
Genre	Hip hop
Length	55:10
Label	Rhymesayers Entertainment
Producer	Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock chronology

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100^[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
BBC	favorable^[3]
Consequence of Sound	B^[4]
Drowned in Sound	9/10^[5]
HipHopDX	3.5/5^[6]
NME	6/10^[7]
Pitchfork Media	8.2/10^[8]
PopMatters	^[9]
Spin	7/10^[10]
Tiny Mix Tapes	^[11]

Skelethon is the sixth studio album by American hip hop artist Aesop Rock. It was released through Rhymesayers Entertainment on July 10, 2012.^[12]

Music

The album is entirely produced by Aesop Rock himself.^[13] Guest appearances include Allyson Baker, Hanni El Khatib, Rob Sonic, Kimya Dawson, Murs, and Blueprint.^[14] The album's artwork was done by Aryz.^[15]

Aesop has described death as a recurring motif on the album, stating:

It felt like everything around me was dying: people, relationships, all plant life in my apartment, you name it—it's dead. That's where the Skelethon title came from, and imagery associated with shit dying is prevalent. That said, I don't think there are many "sad" songs. It's more just like "ahhh I'm exploding"—I want it to sound urgent.^[16]

Release

Music videos were created for "Zero Dark Thirty",^[17] "ZZZ Top",^[18] and "Cycles to Gehenna".^[19] A music video for "ZZZ Top" features the martial arts master Patti Li.^[20]

The album debuted at number 21 on the Billboard 200 with 14,000 copies sold in its first week.^[21] It has sold over 52,000 copies as of April 2016.^[22]

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Skelethon received an average score of 79% based on 27 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[1]

It was listed by HipHopDX as one of the "Top 25 Albums of 2012".^[23]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Leisureforce" (featuring Allyson Baker and Hanni El Khatib)	4:43
2.	"ZZZ Top" (featuring Allyson Baker)	4:15
3.	"Cycles to Gehenna"	4:00
4.	"Zero Dark Thirty" (featuring Rob Sonic)	3:21
5.	"Fryerstarter"	3:28
6.	"Ruby '81"	2:33
7.	"Crows 1" (featuring Kimya Dawson)	4:19
8.	"Crows 2" (featuring Rob Sonic and Murs)	2:30
9.	"Racing Stripes" (featuring Kimya Dawson)	3:23
10.	"1,000 O'Clock"	3:58
11.	"Homemade Mummy" (featuring Rob Sonic)	2:46
12.	"Grace" (featuring Hanni El Khatib)	3:38
13.	"Saturn Missiles"	3:37
14.	"Tetra"	4:41
15.	"Gopher Guts"	3:58
16.	"Dokken Rules" (deluxe edition bonus track; featuring Rob Sonic^[24])	3:59
17.	"BMX" (deluxe edition bonus track; featuring Blueprint and Rob Sonic^[24])	3:34

Charts

Chart (2012)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[25]	21
US Independent Albums (Billboard)^[26]	1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[27]	5

References

^ ^a ^b "Skelethon by Aesop Rock". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Jeffries, David. "Aesop Rock - Skelethon". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Kennedy, Adam (2012). "Aesop Rock - Skelethon - Review". BBC. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Freed, Nick (July 17, 2012). "Aesop Rock – Skelethon". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Thomas, Sean (November 23, 2012). "Aesop Rock - Skelethon". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Cooper, Roman (July 18, 2012). "Aesop Rock - Skelethon". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Cashmore, Pete (July 8, 2012). "Aesop Rock - 'Skelethon'". NME. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Weiss, Jeff (July 10, 2012). "Aesop Rock: Skelethon". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Small, Colin (August 27, 2012). "Aesop Rock: Skelethon". PopMatters. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Reeves, Mosi (July 10, 2012). "Aesop Rock, 'Skelethon' (Rhymesayers)". Spin. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Rag, Ben. "Aesop Rock - Skelethon". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Horowitz, Steven (July 10, 2012). "Aesop Rock "Skelethon" Album Stream". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ "Q&A: Aesop Rock Worked Harder Than Ever for Sixth Album, 'Skelethon'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
^ "Aesop Rock Announces Album Details | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
^ "Juxtapoz Magazine - ARYZ for Aesop Rock "Skelethon" Album Cover". Retrieved January 15, 2017.
^ Cohen, Ian (May 16, 2012). "Aesop Rock - Interview". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
^ Norwood, Charlie (May 1, 2012). "Video Premiere: Aesop Rock, 'Zero Dark Thirty'". MTV. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Suarez, Jessica (June 29, 2012). "Aesop Rock Gets Revenge in "ZZZ Top" Video". MTV. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Weiss, Sam (August 22, 2012). "Video: Aesop Rock "Cycles To Gehenna"". Complex. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Eakin, Marah (June 29, 2012). "Today in music videos: Aesop Rock calls on kung fu master Patti Li for "ZZZ Top"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ Kaufman, Gil (July 18, 2012). "Frank Ocean's Channel Orange Album Sales Land Him At #2". MTV. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016.
^ "HipHopDX's Top 25 Albums Of 2012". HipHopDX. December 26, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Skelethon (Deluxe Edition) by Aesop Rock". Bandcamp. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ "Aesop Rock Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
^ "Aesop Rock Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
^ "Aesop Rock Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.

External links

Skelethon at Discogs (list of releases)

[metacritic-1] "Skelethon by Aesop Rock". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[2] Jeffries, David. "Aesop Rock - Skelethon". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[3] Kennedy, Adam (2012). "Aesop Rock - Skelethon - Review". BBC. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[4] Freed, Nick (July 17, 2012). "Aesop Rock – Skelethon". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[5] Thomas, Sean (November 23, 2012). "Aesop Rock - Skelethon". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[6] Cooper, Roman (July 18, 2012). "Aesop Rock - Skelethon". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[7] Cashmore, Pete (July 8, 2012). "Aesop Rock - 'Skelethon'". NME. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[8] Weiss, Jeff (July 10, 2012). "Aesop Rock: Skelethon". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[9] Small, Colin (August 27, 2012). "Aesop Rock: Skelethon". PopMatters. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[10] Reeves, Mosi (July 10, 2012). "Aesop Rock, 'Skelethon' (Rhymesayers)". Spin. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[11] Rag, Ben. "Aesop Rock - Skelethon". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[12] Horowitz, Steven (July 10, 2012). "Aesop Rock "Skelethon" Album Stream". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[13] "Q&A: Aesop Rock Worked Harder Than Ever for Sixth Album, 'Skelethon'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 15, 2017.

[14] "Aesop Rock Announces Album Details | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved January 15, 2017.

[15] "Juxtapoz Magazine - ARYZ for Aesop Rock "Skelethon" Album Cover". Retrieved January 15, 2017.

[16] Cohen, Ian (May 16, 2012). "Aesop Rock - Interview". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 13, 2023.

[17] Norwood, Charlie (May 1, 2012). "Video Premiere: Aesop Rock, 'Zero Dark Thirty'". MTV. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[18] Suarez, Jessica (June 29, 2012). "Aesop Rock Gets Revenge in "ZZZ Top" Video". MTV. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[19] Weiss, Sam (August 22, 2012). "Video: Aesop Rock "Cycles To Gehenna"". Complex. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[20] Eakin, Marah (June 29, 2012). "Today in music videos: Aesop Rock calls on kung fu master Patti Li for "ZZZ Top"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[21] Kaufman, Gil (July 18, 2012). "Frank Ocean's Channel Orange Album Sales Land Him At #2". MTV. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[22] "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016.

[23] "HipHopDX's Top 25 Albums Of 2012". HipHopDX. December 26, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.

[bandcamp-24] "Skelethon (Deluxe Edition) by Aesop Rock". Bandcamp. Retrieved July 26, 2016.

[ac_Billboard200_Aesop_Rock-25] "Aesop Rock Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.

[ac_BillboardIndependent_Aesop_Rock-26] "Aesop Rock Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.

[ac_BillboardRandBHipHop_Aesop_Rock-27] "Aesop Rock Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.

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