Artist – IAMX
Album – The Alternative
Year – 2006
Genre – Dark Synthpop
IAMX is a dark synthpop project from former Sneaker Pimps member Chris Corner, and I guarantee it’s going to be one of the coolest bands you’ll have heard in a while. Not only is Corner a fantastic and emotive singer and a charismatic frontman, but also a witty and sharp songwriter and talented producer and musician. When you have that mixed with a genre sometimes described as “dark cabaret,” you know you’re in for a pretty cool ride.
The opening drumbeat will pump you up from the start, and the haunting, echoing piano is a highlight throughout the whole song. However, the real treasure is Corner’s electric singing. His voice is high and his notes soar and resonate with every breath. He’s pitch perfect, and his falsetto will chill you during each verse.
After the first verse, there’s an awesome synth/piano solo with an amazing descending ending which just kills me every time. The next verse leads into the explosive chorus, where all the guns are blazing.
For the chorus, you just want to let yourself go. Corner’s soaring voice and melody is off the charts, and every instrument is playing at full blast and creating a dark, glorious wall of sound and harmony.
The driving bassline and little piano accents prove how good Corner is at constructing a catchy song and and interesting one as well. Each little part is great on it’s own, but put together it sounds like a damn good song. The final chorus is a mind blower. You just want to rock the fuck out and lose yourself in it. This song envelops you and covers you completely in its sound. But it’s an experience you’ll want to repeat many more times.
Not only is the song dark, it’s sexual too. The lyrics deal with sex and friendships and how the nature of love is a blurred line of pleasure and the need to emotionally connect. The melody accentuates this theme with the way Corner bends and twists the melody like the curves of a body or movement in the heat of passion. You can just get these images as he sings, but the song is not without its tenderness. The narrator is kind and understanding, yet wild and feral at the same time. It’s certainly a song of duality, and that’s what makes it so unique. It’s damn catchy too. Did I mention that?
I’ll keep this short. You should listen to this song. A great voice deserves to be heard, and if you haven’t heard Chris Corner, you’re missing out.
Thank you for reading, everyone. I’d love to hear what you guys think of the song/review! Likes, follows, and sharing are all great things too.
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