Skelethon

2012 studio album by Aesop Rock

Skelethon

Studio album by

Aesop Rock

Released| July 10, 2012 (2012-07-10)
Genre| Hip-hop
Length| 55:10
Label| Rhymesayers Entertainment
Producer| Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock chronology
| None Shall Pass
(2007)  | Skelethon
(2012)  | The Impossible Kid
(2016)

|
|

Professional ratingsAggregate 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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

1. ^ a b "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.
24. ^ a b "Skelethon (Deluxe Edition) by Aesop Rock". Bandcamp. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
25. ^ "Aesop Rock Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
26. ^ "Aesop Rock Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
27. ^ "Aesop Rock Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.

## External links

[edit]

* Skelethon at Discogs (list of releases)

* v
* t
* e

Aesop Rock

Studio
albums|

* Music for Earthworms
* Float
* Labor Days
* Bazooka Tooth
* None Shall Pass
* Skelethon
* The Impossible Kid
* Spirit World Field Guide
* Integrated Tech Solutions
* Black Hole Superette

Extended
plays|

* Appleseed
* Daylight
* Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives

Compilation
albums|

* Build Your Own Bazooka Tooth

Related|

| Albums|

* All Day: Nike+ Original Run
* Are You Gonna Eat That?
* Hokey Fright
* Bestiary
* Malibu Ken
* Garbology

|

Articles|

* Discography
* Definitive Jux
* Hail Mary Mallon
* Malibu Ken
* The Uncluded
* The Weathermen

Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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