Aesop Rock and Blockhead Turn Old Resort Ads Into Trouble Mountain

Trouble Mountain CD artwork and packaging. Image courtesy of Rhymesayers Entertainment.

Aesop Rock and Blockhead remember the pitch: leave New York, head for the Poconos and come home a different person. On Trouble Mountain, due Friday, November 13th, the longtime collaborators build a fictional resort around the promise they heard in vacation ads as kids. The first hint that something is wrong with this particular getaway is its name.

There is already a way to visit. In the official “Trouble Trouble” video, an animated skier heads into the resort and finds the trip increasingly precarious. Aesop Rock shares art and creative direction credits with Justin “Coro” Kaufman, who animated and edited the video. Blockhead produced the track, with Aesop credited as its writer and performer.

Four Guest Tracks Across the Mountain

The Rhymesayers track list opens with “Swedish Death Cleaning” and closes with “Buffering.” Four of the 17 tracks bill guests. Hanni El Khatib appears early on “Coyote Summer,” Baby Dayliner joins “TM Tours,” and Open Mike Eagle turns up on “One Thing.” Cavalier and 4-IZE share the final guest billing on “Eat and Grow.”

The label traces Aesop and Blockhead’s partnership back to Labor Days. Work and the wish to get away from it have followed them to this record. On Friday, listeners can hear where the trip takes them after the skier disappears from view. The label’s album announcement has more on the childhood commercials behind the project. Find more in PowerPage’s Hip-Hop News.