Cex

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Discuss.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Saturday, 25 January 2003 01:18 (twenty-three years ago)

What about him? Classic/dud? Search/destroy? The role of Tigerbeat6 in current music culture?

― j.lu (j.lu), Saturday, 25 January 2003 01:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Why hasn't he appeared on the cover of the Wire yet? (standing there in a fur coat brandishing knives).

Also, does he have any albums that are consistently non-suck?
I like a few tunes here and there but ehh.

― Millar (Millar), Saturday, 25 January 2003 01:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Saw him at CMJ with Mary and bnw. Apparently he is the American The Streets. There must be something in the records, but the best I can say of the show is he was utterly charming in his between-song patter.

― felicity (felicity), Saturday, 25 January 2003 01:53 (twenty-three years ago)

the role model album is pretty good

but im not down with this comedy hip hop thing hes doing right now. if its for real its poor, if its ironic, its poor.

― gareth (gareth), Saturday, 25 January 2003 02:08 (twenty-three years ago)

we saw him at the monarch in camden, and it was just a bit frat boy house party 80s thing, hmm, thjat makes it sound better than it was

― gareth (gareth), Saturday, 25 January 2003 02:09 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, he apparently just got up one day, packed his bags, and left Baltimore for Oakland last month.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Saturday, 25 January 2003 02:19 (twenty-three years ago)

his last album was meant to be funny, i think, it wasn't.

― keith (keithmcl), Saturday, 25 January 2003 03:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Total dud. And he fucking owes me $17.

― Famous Athlete, Saturday, 25 January 2003 03:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Apparently he is the American The Streets

that's a mighty big apparently.

he's coming out w/a double CD, one of glitch, one of rapping. I can't wait to avoid it

― M Matos (M Matos), Saturday, 25 January 2003 03:36 (twenty-three years ago)

we get comparisons because we both sing with a computer but i have a better voice

― chaki (chaki), Saturday, 25 January 2003 03:50 (twenty-three years ago)

i thought his next cd was gonna be indie rock? he's got a sad affection for dismemberment plan.

― keith (keithmcl), Saturday, 25 January 2003 04:04 (twenty-three years ago)

WHERE ARE THE SIKETRIKE VIDEOS?

― donut bitch (donut), Saturday, 25 January 2003 04:28 (twenty-three years ago)

he's the second worst thing 555 released, after Jean Bach. In fact, add Joan of Ass to those two and you've got the only seriously shite things the label has put out.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Saturday, 25 January 2003 04:52 (twenty-three years ago)

When I saw him, he wasn't singing with a computer, he looked like he was singing with a boombox. And his between song banter wasn't charming, it was really lame. He came onstage talking about he hit #5 on Karate Champ, and nobody laughed. He then talked about how he was going to be in a movie, and someone shouted "8 Mile!", and he glared at them, so I laughed.

― dleone (dleone), Saturday, 25 January 2003 04:59 (twenty-three years ago)

his online journals good. hes a good writer.

― chaki (chaki), Saturday, 25 January 2003 05:40 (twenty-three years ago)

OK, so I actually like his glitch stuff (if I have him pegged in the right genre--I have to admit I don't have an ear for most of that stuff). I find it to be fucked-up and beautiful at the same time, which is an all right combo by me. His rapping is hit or miss, but the parts that hit are kinda funny.

Apparently I'm in the minority on this though.

― dub you well (wl), Saturday, 25 January 2003 07:01 (twenty-three years ago)

i quite like role model,especially rjyan kidwell's funeral,but i haven't heard any of the rap stuff...
i read an interview or two with him a while ago and he came across as quite interesting...

― robin (robin), Saturday, 25 January 2003 12:56 (twenty-three years ago)

check out:

role model
starship galatica ep (555 release mentioned earlier)
oops, i did it again
track on tigerbeat6 comp

have not picked up his new rap stuff. supposed to be funny.

can anyone confirm his move to oakland? i guess it was posted on the tigerbeat6 site so it is pretty legit. too bad, big loss for baltimore...apparently he is working on another non-rap electronic album "being ridden."

― marcg (marcg), Saturday, 25 January 2003 16:08 (twenty-three years ago)

http://jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu/~beu1/cex/disc006.htm

― Girolamo Savonarola, Saturday, 25 January 2003 18:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Matos, I think YOU'RE the one who told me that!

― felicity (felicity), Saturday, 25 January 2003 19:25 (twenty-three years ago)

i've been a true Cex believer for years, ever since he appeared on the stage of the old Ottobar in a bee suit and berated the audience about the poor state of Baltimore's scene ("old men staring at the ceiling") and made us spell his name over a DMX beat. his live show was probably at its peak back when he used to just bullshit over beats for a half hour (see the April 3000 mp3's on his site for a GREBT example of that era), but he's been intermittenly great since doing the rap thing full on.

i was really impressed when suddenly he started rocking full verses and really rapping at the shows. ok, not the tightest flow in the world, but i he holds it together and i always feel what he's saying. i was pretty disappointed by the reaction to Tall, Dark & Handcuffed -- not quite all i hoped it would be, but it has a few really strong tracks. "Bad Acne" is a hell of a mission statement, and "Gigolo Knights" is an awesome hometown chest-pounding banger, although i may be biased because I frequent the burrito joint he namechecks in it.

btw Being Ridden will have rapping on it, but it's less goofy than the TD&H stuff, and in some ways is far and away the best stuff he's done, at least what i've heard of it..."Not Working" and "Stamina" especially.

as a Baltimore head I was sad to hear of him skipping town, but hey, we've all gotta do what we've gotta do.

i can understand it's easy for y'all to write him off because his records are inconsistent and his schtick is, well, schticky, and he can be infuriatingly self-conscious, but honestly, i think the kid is too crazy to not be capable of greatness, and i'm going to be watching him all the way, seeing more and more hints of it all the time. i think he's way more than just another entry in the goofy white boy sweepstakes w/ Barman and Har Mar or whoever, and certainly more interesting and sincere than the Anticon or Def Juxie bores.

― Al (sitcom), Sunday, 26 January 2003 05:41 (twenty-three years ago)

if I did I'd love to know whose crack I was smoking!

― M Matos (M Matos), Sunday, 26 January 2003 06:58 (twenty-three years ago)

i would like to try to remember him at this point next year but i think i might not be able to.

― gygax!, Sunday, 26 January 2003 08:41 (twenty-three years ago)

if I did I'd love to know whose crack I was smoking!

The same stuff you were on when you told me the Justifed record was any good? I got it yesterday, thanks to you.

― felicity (felicity), Sunday, 26 January 2003 17:29 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm particularly looking forward to "Earth-Shaking Event", "The Wayback Machine", and "Jan Svankmajer". And he apparently also has an EP coming out right afterwards called Maryland Mansions.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Monday, 27 January 2003 01:40 (twenty-three years ago)

Justified IS good.

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 27 January 2003 01:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll try some more. Maybe we should have a BoyBandBC this week.

― felicity (felicity), Monday, 27 January 2003 04:09 (twenty-three years ago)

rjyan is the top boy. he can say what he wants and people will listen.

― Al (sitcom), Monday, 27 January 2003 04:18 (twenty-three years ago)

He came onstage talking about he hit #5 on Karate Champ, and nobody laughed.

Karate Champ stinks.

― original bgm, Monday, 27 January 2003 04:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Boy genius (but I admit I'm biased). One of the best things about Rjyan is that he has yet to reach his fully formed potential. Probably one of the things that most puts people off is the ongoing process of, uh, forming.

I can confirm the Oakland move secondhand, though I doubt it's permanent. He was sort of between places here anyway, so it's not like he had a Maryland mansion to put on the market before sojourning to the Bay Area.

― Lee G (Lee G), Monday, 27 January 2003 15:47 (twenty-three years ago)

I dunno, Lee. I just seriously doubt that he's coming back within the next few years. It seemed like this was a big shift. On the other hand, I think he'll always have a very strong connection with Baltimore (he sure as hell isn't gonna pass us by to play in DC!).

I can't wait to see the live DVD, though, whenever it comes out.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Monday, 27 January 2003 19:11 (twenty-three years ago)

The live show I saw was a snoze fest. Rapping over a boom box and trying to one up the frat boys wanting him to do jams about "Titties and Ass-what else should you rap about". Lame.

― brg30 (brg30), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Justified IS good.

Are you telling lies to Felicity? Tsk.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 27 January 2003 22:55 (twenty-three years ago)

hey Lee, is the Cex article you wrote for the Wire a while back online anywhere?

― Al (sitcom), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 03:18 (twenty-three years ago)

"Maryland mansion"....maybe he should change his name!

― matt riedl (veal), Monday, 3 February 2003 21:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Search:

Theme Song to Cex [track]

Oops, I Did It Again [album], particularly these tracks:
"Destination:Sexy"
"After #4, Matrix Sndtrck, 'Rod d'clubbed to death' "
"Furcoat"
"Call Me When You Need Some"

Cex can Kiss My Soft, Sensous Lips [track of "Starship Galactica Ep]

Cex was great at Sonar, but "Tall, Dark and Handcuffed" is missing a lot of the fun he brings to his shows. Even so "Wrist Elbow" and "Ghosr Rider" are great

The Best Cex Ever: http://getretarded.topcities.com/gr6/page8.html

― Nik (Nik), Monday, 3 February 2003 22:22 (twenty-three years ago)

two weeks pass...

Matos, the Justin Timberlake record still sounds like crap! I think I'm, gonna go put on Millenium by the Backstreet Boys. Now that's a good-sounding record.

― felicity (felicity), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 06:03 (twenty-three years ago)

the first five songs on justified are so completely overwhelming that it's hard to listen past them. you have to listen to it in two parts, one at a time.

cex is boring.

― d k (d k), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 06:18 (twenty-three years ago)

five months pass...

Revive!

Just got word that Maryland Mansions will be out on November 18th. Don't know which record label, but definitely not Tigerbeat6 or Temporary Residence.

Goth Cex.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Friday, 8 August 2003 05:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm on track 7 of Role Model. It's all been really nice so far. I take it this CD is atypical though? He does songs too?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Saturday, 9 August 2003 00:16 (twenty-two years ago)

"Julia Walsh" and "Theme Song to Cex" are beautiful. haha his liner notes are so emo.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Saturday, 9 August 2003 00:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I wasn't really feeling the Maryland Mansions stuff when he did it live in the spring, so I dunno if I'll even bother with it, although I actually got "Kill Me" stuck in my head today, out of nowhere.

Being Ridden has really really grown on me lately.

― Al (sitcom), Saturday, 9 August 2003 00:41 (twenty-two years ago)

http://jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu/~beu1/cex/disc028.htm

""New Maps" and "The Strong Suit" are tentatively being planned to be secret tracks for tracks 98 and 99."

wow, he's not letting the NIN influence be misunderstood at all, aping the Broken EP and everything.

― Al (sitcom), Saturday, 9 August 2003 02:21 (twenty-two years ago)

although I actually got "Kill Me" stuck in my head today, out of nowhere

If you've got "Kill Me" stuck in your head, then there may be a pleasant surprise for you a few months down the road...

― Girolamo Savonarola, Saturday, 9 August 2003 14:26 (twenty-two years ago)

golly, that sure is cryptic.

― Al (sitcom), Saturday, 9 August 2003 14:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Just remember to check back on this thread in a week or so and I'll explain then.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Saturday, 9 August 2003 14:38 (twenty-two years ago)

i really like Being Ridden, the production is dope, and Cex definately has charm. i dont know, he doesnt really deserve the berating he cops, it's like he knows he's biting hip hop culture, but puts his own, suburban-wigga spin on it, which, accepted for what it is, is hot.

― glenny g2003 (glenny g2003), Saturday, 9 August 2003 17:38 (twenty-two years ago)

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