Posted on 08/11/2009
Most of Cage’s latest solo album was constructed in collaboration with one producer, F. Sean Smith; liner notes and certain lyrics suggest the MC had lived with him during the time of recording. The musical character of Depart From Me… reflects these insular circumstances, stretching much of the album into something distinct from the house sound of Definitive Jux, Cage’s label. Although a significant amount of electronic instrumentation, the kind of which might traditionally be associated with Def Jux, remains present, there are also a number of song structures, vocal styles, and instrumentation choices that evoke something closer to a punk rock aesthetic. The balance of hip-hop, electronics, and rock results in something a little different than previous Cage releases, and it seems unlikely that this shift would not isolate certain segments of Cage’s existing audience, but the album is also focused and sincere enough to warrant more than a reflexive rejection due to an evolution in style.

The lyrical content leans toward autobiographical-sounding descriptions of emotionally significant life experiences, mitigated with humor and an impressionistic method that keeps the mood from becoming too dark, and that add a level of sophistication and ambiguity to the subject matter. A track like “Teenage Hands” opens with a first-person verse about an adult (someone older than twenty-two, at least) dating a high school girl before switching to a second-person verse about teenagers being sent off to war. Many of the tracks are first-person and seem to be about Cage, so you initially assume that the first verse of this track is also being told from this perspective, in a sardonic manner. The second verse seems to switch to an overt piece of social commentary, causing one to re-evaluate the perspective and meaning of the first verse. To be clear, this is not the most profound or interesting song, but it is an easy illustration of the kinds of shifts in perspective and tone that occur, contributing to an organic, evolving, generalized impression ---revealing but also distancing.

Some of the more “traditional” tracks employ the production of label stalwarts El-P and Aesop Rock, and vocally don’t sound much different from what you might expect: the kind of industrial, effect-laden hip-hop that Def Jux is perhaps best known for. Many of the other tracksinvolve a degree of singing, reminiscent at times of Suicidal Tendencies or Nine Inch Nails. None of these comparisons are meant to be definitive or to suggest that this is a derivative work; Cage has perhaps veered away from previous incarnations but also seems to be working towards a more uniquely personal space. Even if he never makes another album quite like this, it may have been one he needed to make in order to get through to the next phase.

- Jason Reynolds