Consumer Guide: February, 2024

Eternal bebop, aesthetic force with brains, country soul from Newark, and hip‑hop dreams with humanistic impulses. Plus: robot limbs, the aging alt‑rock bohemia, hypnotic guitar minimalism, and more.

Aesop Rock: ITS: Integrated Tech Solutions (Rhymesayers) Now in his late forties, the Suffolk County rapper a/k/a Ian Bavitz has been generating hip‑hop albums of notable intelligence, range, and curiosity since he was 21, although they were often dulled slightly by hooks more declarative and ideological than catchy and entertaining. Strangely, this alb…