Though seemingly done with experimentally short songs and instead opting for the 3-5 minute market, Aesop still remains true to his penchant for unconventional structures. There is nothing so bold as Madvillain’s short bursts, dispensing of concepts like verse and chorus (and there never really was with Aesop Rock), there isn’t much of the conventionality we have seen before on the very brief flirtation with the norm, 'Daylight'. However, 'None Shall Pass' is bursting with hooks, often multiple per song, standout examples being the “we don’t need no walkie-talkies” of 'Coffee' or the looped “in a getaway car” of 'Getaway Car', which demonstrate Aesop’s ability to appeal to more basic aural pleasures. Each song is rich with sonic texture; masterfully produced by old fan favourite Blockhead in the most part, the songs are deep vaults of sound and, much like the poetry Aes delivers over the top, flows over the listener, randomly captivating with new intricacies on every listen.

Far from becoming a lazy and bloated stalwart of the hip-hop world, Aesop continues to produce in his own deeply introverted way. If you are unfamiliar with his lyricism I have to apologise for being unable to describe it but, if you know what I mean, he is far from relenting in the stream of meandering, obscure, metaphorical, metonymical, symbolic, nonsensical words which have been pouring out of him since the very beginning. He is never straightforward, rarely literal and always fresh. A personal highlight would be the relentless flow of the title track, most notably the chorus. The craftsmanship illustrated is fairly astonishing.

There’s a degree of introversion about Aesop Rock which is ultimately endearing. Though it’s frustrating and even aggravating to see him producing a track to jog to for Nike, I find it pretty comforting that he doesn’t seem to care about anything but creating his art, a vibe picked up from his refusal to compromise the incomprehensibility of his words as well as the yearning to just go work in a factory out of resentment for the industry which he expressed in an interview supposedly promoting this release.

To reiterate, one might expect a rapper’s collaboration with Nike to be an omen of impending disastrous and brutally commercialised work but Aesop has surprised once again. There are no signs of decadence, sloppiness or filler; the result is an album indicative of complete dedication to artistry. It’s an interesting paradox of integrity but I think he comes out on top.

Alistair Clark