September 4, 2007 | The Cauldron
Page 14 | Culture
CD REVIEWS
Blaqk Audio Cex Cells Interscope Records 4 out of 5
will not be displeased. Havok shows his brilliant vocal range all throughout this album. Cex Cells will surely be the album to beat for anyone in the electronic world of music. It is an album that embodies so much emotion and different sounds. This album is a great example of what mainstream music should be. It’s edgy, different, and very uplifting. It is definitely an album to give a listen to.
By Laura Dynda The Cauldron Staff Writer
Davey Havok and Jade Puget created Blaqk Audio to serve as an electronic project for them. The duo came to fame with the well-known band AFI. What came out of the duo’s collaborations was the new album Cex Cells. With Havok as vocalist and lyricist of the band, Blaqk Audio is able to transcend from just an electronic sound, to music of the senses. Puget writes all of the music and programs the synthesizers for this eclectic album. Cex Cells is an album that at first listen, the audience will fall in love with the different sounds. The beats for the entire album are very uplifting. It is a great dance album. The first track, “Stiff Kittens” is a very nice start. The music has a nice beat and the song transitions very well from beginning to end. ”Snuff on Digital,” is a very good song to dance to, the beat is absolutely captivating to the listener. The song starts out with only synthesized music for the first 45 seconds or so, then Havok’s wonderful voice fills the airwaves with its deep lyrics. None of the tracks sound the same whatsoever. Whether all the songs are fast or slower paced, there is just so much originality and feeling behind each of them. Havok who was the lead vocalist for AFI, really shines on this album. Fans of the acclaimed singer
Darren Hayes * This Delicate Thing We’ve Made Powdered Sugar Productions 5 out of 5 By Jamie DuBois The Cauldron Staff Writer
Former Savage Garden (I Want You, Truly Madly Deeply, I Knew I Loved You) vocalist Darren Hayes has independently released his third solo CD, a double album, the follow-up to the brooding The Tension and the Spark. Standouts on *This Delicate Thing We’ve Made include the radio-friendly On the Verge of Something Wonderful, the dance-club friendly Step Into the Light, the straightforward Who Would Have Thought?, the heartfelt Casey and the vocally stunning I Just Want You to Love Me (which rivals Truly Madly Deeply as one of the best love songs he has penned.) Listeners who identify with the themes from Thornton Wilder’s play Our Town will appreciate the creative How to Build a Time Machine, while those who enjoy Cher’s Song for the Lonely will appreciate Listen All You
People. Fans of Top 40 radio who agree with the political themes of Waiting on the World to Change and Where Is the Love? will appreciate The Great Big Disconnect, a pleasant surprise that breaks free of the adult contemporary, unabashedly pop, and electronica genres of Hayes’ music catalogue. The aforementioned standout songs utilize what Hayes does best-catchy, memorable songs embellished with his falsetto, while some of the other 25 songs lack this-Hayes tends to over-use his falsetto and tries to be too “artistic” with the lyrics and/or music sometimes; it’s not to say that the songs are sub par, but some of them could have been omitted to make the album more coherent, especially if it was a single disc release. Check out www.darrenhayes.com and www. myspace.com/darrenhayes. Jamie DuBois can be reached at jamiedubois17@yahoo.com.
Talib Kweli Eardrum Warner Bros. 2.5 out of 5 By Faith Hampton The Cauldron Staff Writer
Talib Kweli made me feel like I was listening to two different albums every other song. In one song he would come in with a meaningful message and then in the next one he would delve back into using foul language. It almost seemed like I was listening to two totally different artists. Kweli was born in Brooklyn, New York. His third solo album, Eardrum, was released on his own record label called Blacksmith Records. When you first listen to Eardrum, you obviously notice that it is a rap album. But the first couple of songs almost make it seem like a rap album being overtaken by a modern pop tune. Then, it switches over to a rap song that has a jazzy, old time melody. And then, you just get some straightforward rap songs. Aside from the beats and rhythms, the messages that Kweli sends out may be more satisfying…or not. Kweli makes interesting observations in some of his songs, such as these lyrics to the song Hostile Gospel: “To black kids wishin’ they white kids when they close they eyelids/Like I bet they neighborhood ain’t like this/ White kids wishin’ they black kids/ and wanna talk like rappers/It’s all backwards, it’s identity crisis”. But just when you think he has something to say, he spits out rhymes using offensive language. Come again? It’s the same as every other rap song out there; same song with a slightly different beat. I’m sure his fan base is huge. Note the sarcasm. Comment about CD reviews online at csucauldron.com. We want to hear your opinions!
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