Aesop Rock Soundtracks Space Shooter Videogame Freedom Finger

Those who lost and found themselves in the voluminous lyrics of Aesop Rock back when his wordiness was alternatingly admired and assaulted but not yet cataloged for comparative data analysis might remember a verbosely titled song by the name of "The Greatest Pac-Man Victory in History." The song, off Aesop's second Def Jux full-length, Bazooka Tooth, chronicles the artist's adventures as a Long Island teenager whacked out of his mind on LSD, doing things Long Island teenagers who are whacked out of their minds on LSD tend to do, like hang out at the Beverage Barn and beat its Pac-Man. Seventeen years later, those who once obsessesed over the repeating L-S-D alliterations in the second verse of "The Greatest Pac-Man Victory in History," as well as those just now hearing about it, can delight to find Aesop Rock further blowing minds — his own, ours, animated space villains' — in Music from the Game Freedom Finger, which collects his soundtrack to the space shooter along with three new rap songs inspired by it. At this point in writing intentionally long sentences about the new Aesop Rock release, it also occurs to me that a middle-finger-shaped spaceship blasting explosive projectiles at a cigar chomping, uniformed brain beast may be a workable visual metaphor for the rapper/producer's entire catalog. Well played, Aesop Rock ... well played indeed. So put your quarters up!