If you are like many people over the age of 30, there are things you all have in common right now: 

1 – You remember the 80’s very vividly

2 – You’re wondering who authorized the return of all the fashion faux pas we committed and are trying so hard to forget. (walked through a Urban Outfitters lately?)

Some of you may or may not be familiar with Davey Havok.  Davey can probably be credited with almost single handedly popularizing the androgynous emo look that most teenagers are sporting these days. But don’t let that deter you from giving him a chance.  He’s actually incredibly talented.

Blaqk Audio: The Side Project

Blaqk Audio is actually the side project of AFI front man, Davey Havok and AFI keyboardest, Jade Puget.  When I heard the first single from Blaqk Audio’s Cexcells I thought it was yet another wanna-be 80’s, retro, post emo band that seem to be popping up (don’t get me wrong I actually like most of the ones I’ve heard). But I wasn’t sure if I liked them enough to buy the album.

Having been a fan of the previous AFI albums Answer That and Stay Fashionable and Sing the Sorrow I decided I should give them another chance.  I’m very glad I did.

While the album cover and name may leave some of you wondering if this is safe to listen to around the kids, I’ll tell you that it’s just as safe as Depeche Mode or Erasure (take that for whatever it’s worth).

After listening to the album I was blown away with how spot on, the 80’s euro discotheque sound was.  This wasn’t just some emo band trying to sound like Depeche Mode this was possibly the best 80’s synth driven Electropop album I’ve ever heard (and he does it all without a fake English accent).

1 – Despite looking like a teenage girl Davey Havok is actually 32.  So he lived the 80’s like the rest of us Gen Xers.

2- Dave Bascombe, who was Depeche Mode’s producer, produced Cexcells.

My favorite (uber poppy get up and dance) songs are:

Snuff On Digital

Again, Again And Again

Semiotic Love

On A Friday

(Seriously, for those of you in Idaho or Utah, you will think you’re back at an SND)

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Blaqk Audio,Electropop,Synth,Depeche Mode,Davey Havok

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