Depart from Me

Cage describes Depart from Me as being "an exorcism of sorts", stating that it is more personal than his previous albums. Cage states that the album's lyrics do not focus on social commentary, but instead deal with life and "things that people can relate to". In a departure from the rapper's previous sample-driven albums, Depart from Me consists of rap rock tracks that feature "surging bass, mountains of guitar feedback, and fuzzy synth". Cage describes the album's title track as being similar to Nine Inch Nails because guitarist Sean Martin had been listening to the band heavily during the production of the album. ==Release==

The first music video from the album, "I Never Knew You", debuted on May 18, 2009. Directed by Shia LaBeouf, the video features actor Dan Byrd following a woman played by Scarlett Kapella. On the same day as the music video's release, Cage released the I Never Knew You EP as a digital download, initially for free, and then through digital stores. The EP featured four exclusive tracks, as well as "I Never Knew You", which would also be included on the album. Depart from Me was initially announced as being scheduled for a June 29 release, but was delayed. The album was released as a digital download, and in deluxe editions on CD and vinyl. ==Critical reception==

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69 based on 10 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". ==Track listing==

Credits adapted from liner notes. • Cage – vocals, production (6) • Sean "F. Sean" Martin – guitar (1, 6), production (2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14) • El-P – production (1, 5, 6, 7) • Red Bank Kids Choir – vocals (2) • Tero Smith – drum programming (3) • Phil Caivano – guitar (9), recording • Allyson Baker – guitar (10) • Aesop Rock – production (10) • Joey Raia – mixing (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12) • Dave Ogilvie – mixing (9, 13, 14) • Michael Sarsfield – mastering • Alex Pardee – artwork, design ==Charts==