Released in 2012, five years after Aes’ previous album, Skelethon feels like a turning point in the artist’s career. It’s a series of firsts: his first album as a San Francisco resident, his first solo release on Minneapolis-based label Rhymesayers Entertainment, and his first completely self-produced LP. As the first unfiltered view inside Aes’ mind, Skelethon portrays the emcee’s psyche as a morbid place. It does not sound as though the break from Def Jux or the move to California did him much emotional good. On this LP, Aes has a talent for turning simple facets of modern life like buying donuts (“Fryerstarter”) and eating green beans (“Grace”) into exercises in intrigue and conflict. Each song tries to outdo itself in terms of bleakness, and Aes frequently paints himself as an eccentric (“I am so completely off the goddamn grid it’s not a question of addressing me it’s ‘what do these symbols under the dresser mean?'” he spits on “Crows 1″). The album’s sole lighthearted song, “Racing Stripes,” takes time from shit-talking about haircuts to reference Camu Tao, Aes’ follow Def Jux alumnus who passed away in 2008. Sonically, Aes does an admirable job, and while he lacks Blockhead’s ear for mood, he proves himself adept with percussion. In particular, Skelethon maintains a gold standard in drum breaks — album highlight “Saturn Missiles” would still sound gripping as an instrumental, from its furious hi-hat hook to its creepy left-piano-hand bridge. Aes’ attention to detail doesn’t always serve the material, as overly polished sonic elements fight for the front of the mix. However, Aes makes some adventurous choices in Skelethon as well, like “Ruby 81,” a two-minute (nearly) a cappella freestyle about a dog saving a toddler’s life. Likewise, his collaboration with Kimya Dawson on both parts of “Crows,” drips with the unease that his earlier work only hinted at. It’s one of Aes’ most dynamic (and catchy) records, but its pessimism might wear some listeners down. Aes is recording a second Hail Mary Mallon album before a proper follow-up to Skelethon; maybe he needs a reprieve from its darkness as well.