SEARCH
Login
NEWSLETTER
WHO'S ONLINE
There are 136 unlogged users and 2 registered users online.
You can log-in or register for a user account here.
You can log-in or register for a user account here.
REVIEWS
Buy this album from iTunes
President
The Alternative
Nightlife
Lulled by Numbers
Song of Imaginary Beings
The Negative Sex
Bring Me Back a Dog
S.H.E.
Spit It Out
After Every Party I Die
This Will Make You Love Again
RELATED REGEN LINKS
NEWS
- IAMX releases single
- IAMX announces U.S. tour dates
- Metropolis Records signs IAMX
- IAMX tops DAC charts, tours
- IAMX releases limited edition single
REVIEWS
INTERVIEWS
IAMX
The Alternative
Metropolis Records
Posted: Tuesday, July 15, 2008
By: Charity VanDeberg
Concert Editor
By: Charity VanDeberg
Concert Editor
With IAMX's sophomore album, Chris Corner brings a hint of maturity to his glam and seduction.
Although the remixed version of The Alternative was released in the U.S. a month earlier than Kiss and Swallow, it was actually recorded (and originally released) two years later, and it shows. Where IAMX's debut was glitzy as carelessly applied glitter and smeared lipstick, this one displays a maturity that can only be earned through experience.
Years in Berlin have taken a hold on IAMX's Chris Corner and he seems to have settled very comfortably in its black velvet embrace. Beginning with the opening track, "President," Corner exerts his androgynous sensuality on an eager audience. His voice is clear and strong, yet teasingly coy. Like a boy realizing that there can be sex without love, he draws away from the gentler intimate themes of his last album and seems to have more fun this time around. Where he had previously only flirted with experimentation, with The Alternative he revels in an orgy of sounds and instruments. At times, he sounds like a torch singer curled up on a grand piano while violinists circle the stage. And then there are the razor-sharp guitar-driven dance club anthems "Nightlife," "The Negative Sex," and "After Every Party I Die" that show a rougher side of the previously silky-smooth soloist. But the catchiest song on the album is without doubt the electro/industrial "Bring Me Back a Dog," a song of reincarnation set to a surprisingly grinding beat. For the romantics, there are even a couple of ballads and a beautiful string version of "Spit It Out."
Chris Corner has a reputation, but The Alternative is the album that proves he deserves it. Balancing youthful enthusiasm with years of experience, IAMX's sophomore album borrows from the glitz of Kiss and Swallow and replaces glitter with diamonds.
Years in Berlin have taken a hold on IAMX's Chris Corner and he seems to have settled very comfortably in its black velvet embrace. Beginning with the opening track, "President," Corner exerts his androgynous sensuality on an eager audience. His voice is clear and strong, yet teasingly coy. Like a boy realizing that there can be sex without love, he draws away from the gentler intimate themes of his last album and seems to have more fun this time around. Where he had previously only flirted with experimentation, with The Alternative he revels in an orgy of sounds and instruments. At times, he sounds like a torch singer curled up on a grand piano while violinists circle the stage. And then there are the razor-sharp guitar-driven dance club anthems "Nightlife," "The Negative Sex," and "After Every Party I Die" that show a rougher side of the previously silky-smooth soloist. But the catchiest song on the album is without doubt the electro/industrial "Bring Me Back a Dog," a song of reincarnation set to a surprisingly grinding beat. For the romantics, there are even a couple of ballads and a beautiful string version of "Spit It Out."
Chris Corner has a reputation, but The Alternative is the album that proves he deserves it. Balancing youthful enthusiasm with years of experience, IAMX's sophomore album borrows from the glitz of Kiss and Swallow and replaces glitter with diamonds.
