Cex - Starship Galactica
by Adam Wood
published: 8 / 2 / 2005

Label:
Temporary Residence
Format: CD
intro
Re-release of the much acclaimed electro wizard Cex alias Rjyan Kidwell's debut album re-mastered and re-packaged with three extra tracks
Rjyan Kidwell has come home. Starship Galactica has returned to earth since its first release back in 2001 re-mastered and repackaged with three extra tracks to bolster it out to a proper, adult sized record. And this is where the grown up stuff stops. Cex (pronounced ‘sex’) is a comic book super hero, the Intelligent Dance Music (IDM) scene’s music terrorist, and it couldn’t be further from nerdy small town chancer Kidwell’s life. A seemingly normal young man whose Mr Hyde is a unique blend of bizarre hip-hop dance crossovers interlaced with battle raps. The song ‘Hi Scores’ sums up Cex perfectly, the listener given the sounds of Cex, literally yet the man himself is playing on his playstation. Ahem. It’s this kind of American Pie humour that really starts to grate on second or third listen, yet it reflects the confusing schizophrenia of Kidwell, his sexless geeky demeanour crosses over into the domain of Cex, a world of debauched women and glossy self confidence. The Kidwell enigma by no means masks the music though; the record twists and turns its way through hardened electro (‘Cal and Brady Style’) to organic Four Tet –esque spirit, with the occasional interjection of banality. The joy of Cex needs to be heard and this re-issue justifies him a position in the IDM pantheon, but don’t tell him that. He’s good, but not as good as he thinks he is.
Track Listing:-
1 Intro2 Cal And Brady Style
3 Tattoo Of A Barcode
4 Get In Yr Squads
5 Hi Scores
6 Cex Can Kiss My Soft Sensuous Lips
7 Your Handwriting When You Were A Child In The Winter
8 Starship Galactica
9 Friends Fall Down
10 Monster-Face Pills
11 Bunky
Label Links:-
http://temporaryresidence.com/https://www.facebook.com/temporaryresidence
https://twitter.com/tempresltd
https://www.youtube.com/user/temporaryresidence
https://plus.google.com/+temporaryresidence
bandcamp
reviews |
Being Ridden (2003) |
![]() |
Groundbreaking "lo-fi pippop" from CEX, aka Rjyan Kidwell, who, still in his early 20's, seems about to become one of the leading artists on the electronica scene |
most viewed articles
current edition
Pennyblackmusic - Writers and Photographers' Albums of the Year 2024Peter Perrett - In Dreams Begin Responsibilities Interview Part One
Man From Delmonte - Interview
Clive Langer - Interview
Pennyblackmusic - Book of the Year Award 2024
Johnnie Johnstone - Interview
Marianne Faithfull - Reflections
Laura Nyro - Profile
Johny Brown - Corpse Flower
Vinyl Stories - Vinyl 2024
most viewed reviews
current edition
Dorie Jackson - Stupid Says RunRingo Starr - Look Up
Beabadoobee - This is How The World Moves
Pixie Lott - Encino
Dusty Springfield - The BBC Sessions
Unthanks - In Winter
Joan Armatrading - How Did This Happen and What Does It Mean?
Rosie Lowe - Lover, Other
Oïmiakon - Comptoir Des Vanites
Emily Burns - Die Happy
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart