Skelethon
2012 studio album by Aesop Rock
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Skelethon is the sixth studio album by American hip-hop artist Aesop Rock. It was released through Rhymesayers Entertainment on July 10, 2012.[12]
| Skelethon | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 10, 2012 | |||
| Genre | Hip-hop | |||
| Length | 55:10 | |||
| Label | Rhymesayers Entertainment | |||
| Producer | Aesop Rock | |||
| Aesop Rock chronology | ||||
| ||||
| 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] |
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 |