Following last weeks release of their album Garbology, Aesop Rock and longtime collaborator Blockhead have released a new video for their track “Flamingo Pink”. Directed by Rob Shaw, the video supports one of the albums most resounding hits, a typically moody and rhyme-rich track in keeping with his familiar style. The video reflects the albums name and theme, wherein discarded items are collected and examined by a man conducting his own foray into garbology. The video can be watched below:
After decades of mutual collaborations, Garbology is Aesop Rock’s and Blockhead’s first full-length project together. While Blockhead produced much of Aesop Rock’s sophomore album Float, all the way back in 2000, this is their first official project as co-collaborators, nicely capping off a careers worth of reciprocal involvement.
In explaining the name and nature of the project, Aesop states: “Garbology is defined as the study of the material discarded by a society to learn what it reveals about social or cultural patterns”, “I find a lot of parallels between that and the idea of picking up the pieces after a loss or period of intense unrest, and seeing what’s really there.”
The study of garbology was initially spearheaded by American archeologist William Rathje, though the term ‘garbology’ itself was invented by A. J. Weberman after rummaging through the waste of folk legend Bob Dylan. This study has become much more important over the years due to climate concerns. Aesop additionally uses this as a metaphor for sampling: “Furthermore — the idea of digging through old, often neglected music from another time with an ear tuned for taking in that data in a different way than your average listener would is exactly what Block does. Go through the information and see what you find.”
To match the albums theme, it is being released on physical formats as “a 100% recycled compound comprised of trimmed flash and leftovers from other color vinyl pressings”, according to Stereogum.
Garbology came about after a creative rut experienced by Aesop, after he had lost a close friend. “The world got real weird during those months,” recalls Aesop. “I knew at some point I had to get back to making something. Make a beat. Draw a picture. Write. Just go.” After embarking on a quest to write again, it was only natural for Aesop to hit up Blockhead for some beats, and it was seemingly within no time that an albums worth of material had accumulated through their efforts.
The project has recieved acclaim since its release, with Pop Matters writing “Garbology is an album of rituals and graveyards, of mixed messages and lost communications, and it manages to walk a mirror-thin line between relatable and inscrutable. In short, it feels like a great Aesop Rock album.”
Listen to the album Garbology below:
