Cex
“Being Ridden Instrumentals”
(Temporary Residence)
This is tough to review because I haven’t heard the “non-instrumental” version of this album. Standing alone, it’s a pretty good batch of IDM with some ambient hints and plenty of Chicago-y indie-rock bits thrown in. I can’t help but feel it would be more interesting with vocals, as a lot of the songs make you feel like you’re waiting for something else to kick in that never does.
The cover art is a cute spoof of David Bowie’s cover art for “Heroes” (which was his take on posing à la Schiele). On this instrumental version of “Being Ridden” Cex has a piece of duct tape over his mouth. Clever and fun, but I’m guessing you’d only want this if you’re so crazy about the original album you have to have more.
