CD REVIEW: CAGE - DEPART FROM ME

With each of his releases, emcee Cage has shown growth.

From the juvenile horrorcore fantasies of his debut Movies For The Blind to his brilliant, more mature sophomore release Hell's Winter, he's gotten better and better.

Now with his third release Depart From Me, he's taken a more introspective approach.



Since Hell's Winter, Cage has had to suffer the loss of his best friend and longtime collaborator/producer/rapper Camu Tao.



The pain of this loss is reflected in the first song "Nothing Left To Say." Here, Cage laments the fact that no one praised Camu when he was alive but when he died all the secret admirers came out of the woodwork. "Dr. Strong" is a reflection of his time spent in the Stony Lodge, a mental hospital, after being committed there by his parents.

"Teenage Hands" finds him discussing teenagers being manipulated by adults, as he flows similar to Schoolly D on "P.S.K." over a plodding bassline. While he raps on "Katie's Song," it has more of a rock feel. Cage doesvwhat sounds like an impression of The Killers' Brandon Flowers on the chorus as he goes on about songs about people who hook up once and pretend to fall in love because they're too embarrassed to admit they don't feel any

But it's not all self-reflection and depression. "Kick Rocks" is a song about people who are annoying, something everyone can relate to. "Fat Kids Need An Anthem" is a recounting of how Cage lost a lot of weight after Hell's Winter. Jokingly, he recounts a scene from the film Fight Club and how he went from fantasizing about women to dreaming about food he can't eat anymore. As the song finishes, he talks to the listener in a manner similar to Mike Muir on Suicidal Tendencies "Institutionalized."

Despite the dark tone of Depart From Me, there's a ray of hope in the lead single and last track "I Never Knew You." The song focuses on a lonely man who becomes infatuated with a woman he met on the street. While still a bit of a bummer track, there's a silver lining as the protagonist finds himself not focusing on his solitude but on this beautiful woman he saw on the street. The haunting, somber synths floating over a simple drum track make it a unique hip-hop song where a little vulnerability is shown.

Producers El-P and F. Sean Martin create similar but different backdrops. El-P's beats are based on '88 style drums with a layer of fuzzy synths. Martin focuses less on the beat itself and focuses more on synths and fuzzy bass, creating a more danceable vibe. Sonically, it may be too electro for traditional hip-hop fans. But lyrically, he paints a picture of the turmoil that we all deal with whether we say it or not.