Actual F*****g

The disturbing thing about Actual F*cking is not the extremely sexual and suggestive artwork complemented by hysterical imitations of Penthouse letters, but rather how good the music is contained within. Never one to stay pigeonholed for long, Cex has gone from being street rapper to melodramatic emo poster boy to his most recent incarnation with a full-blown band. Decidedly different than any other of his endeavors, Rjyan Kidwell (Cex) is now a bona fide rock singer featuring a group heavy on percussion with songwriting besting most alterna-icons posturing on the pop charts in 2006. The first two tracks feature amazing performances, and the third track "Chapel Hill" sounds like a hysterical parody of Thom Yorke and Radiohead. And as the album carries on, it becomes more and more evident that this albums is less about sex than a statement about the overblown pretentiousness and drama surrounding many of the bands with artistic merit that are popular, circa 2006. This may or may not be the album's intent, but the paradox of being a Cex fan is whether or not to accept his artistic shifts as a sign of evolution, or a mockery of current trends in music.