Released: August 7th 2007
It must be like a shot of adrenaline to be able to create without giving any thought to what the critics or fans will make of it, much less worrying about record sales. After all, Blaqk Audio is a side project, long in gestation and lovingly tended by Davey Havok and Jade Puget, one half of AFI. You can see why they won’t be chasing after validation from anyone. Of course, it also helps to have an album worth a listen. Luckily, ‘CexCells’ delivers on its promise of synthesizers and club beats that are all heart; as much heart as keyboards can express.
Drawing on influences ranging from VNV Nation, Depeche Mode and Daft Punk to the more foreign Einstürzende Neubauten, half of it runs like a moody soundtrack of a shadowed, sleazy hole-in-the-wall, the other booms over a flashy rave, and it all has been made to dance. ‘Stiff Kittens’ is the first single and it’s as anthemic and unrelenting as ‘Wake Up, Open the Door and Escape to the Sea’ is despondent and full of words of wisdom: “oh, my, my, you’re so sly / let’s leave unsaid what’s left unspoken / oh, my boy, you’re oh so coy / let’s just pretend that nothing’s broken”.
The theme, as the album name suggests, is quite sexually charged, the one topic never really touched upon in any of the AFI albums. ‘Where Would You Like Them Left?’ is a shining example of the sweeter side, or as sweet as you can get with lyrics like these: “strip for me as I have stripped for you / we’ve got nothing to hide and we’ve got less to lose”, but even that’s tame and very friendly when you stand it next to ‘Between Breaths (an XX perspective)’. If erotic asphyxiation had a theme song, that would be it. ‘Semiotic Love’ is a sad, electronic love song and ‘The Love Letter’ (don’t let that title fool you) is like a rock opera on loneliness.
More than a few bands even with a moderation of success have branched out into side projects to try their hand at something extraordinary. Some never make it past the planning stage and some fall through without making so much as a peep. From the sound of it, Blaqk Audio will be sticking around and marching to the beat of their own drum machine.
Previously published on This Is Fake DIY.
Tags: Album, blaqk audio, Review