In August of 2000, at the tender young age of 18, the artist known as Cex released Role Model, a classic example of the twitchy, crunchy style of electronic music known as IDM. In the years since Role Model dropped, Cex has steadily issued albums and EPs, sometimes several per year. His sound changes on every album, from IDM to IDM-plus-snark in Oops, I Did It Again! to the lap-top hip-hop of Tall, Dark & Handcuffed.
Each Cex release showcases an astounding amount not only of musical proficiency but intellectual cleverness. Oops, I Did It Again!, in addition to swiping the title of Britney Spears's second album, also features clever riffs on Eminem and postmodern social theorist bell hooks. Tall, Dark & Handcuffed is one clever line after another, and is often laugh-out-loud funny.
See MC Paul Barman for why funny doesn't always cut it.
Fortunately, Cex has taken a different route with his latest LP, Maryland Mansions. A tribute both to his home state and the erstwhile It-boy of American teen anger, Mansions tends to walk closer to the line toed by Manson's own mentor, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. The song titles read like a suicide note: "Drive off a Mountain", "Stop Eating", "Take Pills", and "Kill Me". But is Rjyan Kidwell, the human incarnation of Cex, really this depressed, or is he playacting?
Well, to some extent, Cex is always playacting. Although Maryland Mansions is clearly a heartfelt tribute, it doesn't reach either the same emotional fervor or depressive depths of either NIN or Marilyn Manson. There's a simple reason for this: Kidwell just can't hide his sneer.
The Cex motto is "Half man, half human." He sings about postmodern social theorists. His Web site's diary often runs on at length about his state of mind and ambitious career goals. Kidwell is a man who knows he's smart and clever, but is never satisfied with his output. So the constant mutation of his sound is not surprising. But his self-awareness can be distracting, and when he sings about driving off a mountain on, appropriately enough, "Drive Off A Mountain", it sure sounds like a Reznor b-side, but it's hard to make it seem like anything more than an exercise in verisimilitude.
Although a mere 25 minutes long with eight tracks, Mansions is probably Cex's most complete work. Each song is fully structured and well-crafted; there are no 50-second concept pieces like "after #4 Matrix Sndtrk. Rob D 'clubbed to death'" from Oops, I Did It Again. The songs are interesting lyrically and musically, especially as Cex channels distorted guitars through his laptop on "Drive off a Mountain" and "New Maps". He brings industrial two-step to "Kill Me", and even toys with a Caribbean sensibility on "The Strong Suit", where he raps about a Willy Loman-like traveling salesman.
Enjoy Maryland Mansions for what it is: a snapshot an artist in motion. No matter how well the album is received, it's a good bet that Kidwell's already off to a completely different musical realm.
— 3 May 2004
