IAMX
Kiss + Swallow

THE REVIEW

I Am X: not bad, my dear Chris Corner, I'd say it suits you perfectly! X as unknown, as an indecipherable element, to me he is just that, a character on whom I really cannot form a precise judgment. Honest craftsman? Mediocre trend follower? Someone who could but doesn't want to? Someone who wants to but can't? Go figure, from Sneaker Pimps to this solo career under a pseudonym, since '96 until today not a single album where he doesn't show a glimpse of great potential, and at the same time not a single album that can be called truly beautiful and successful, more or less. Stylish and charismatic just right, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and eternally unfinished, perhaps for commercial calculations, perhaps because of his own limits and maybe simply due to inconsistency. Chris Corner definitely gets on my nerves, yes, because he is someone who could (or could have) done really beautiful things, and instead limits himself to being a kind of slightly less tacky and inflated alternative to Muse and Placebo. "Volatile Times" of 2011 is perhaps his ultimate manifesto, three neo-glam gems of great allure and depth, "I Salute You Christopher" (with wonderful lyrics), "Bernadette" and "Oh Beautiful Town" that emerge in a broth of insipid clattering guitars and half-shouted nasal choruses (a forced, irritating style, and, whether one admits it or not, absolutely inexpressive, which also belittles a flexible and classy vocality).

Dear Chris Corner, since you're starting to get a bit older, what would you say to stop trying to cozy up to some fringe-wearing teenager (plus you started with trip-hop, so it's not even your original background) and aim for some more "adult-oriented" sounds? Maybe steering towards a somewhat dark neo-classical glam decadent synth-pop cabaret, if you'll allow it, you'd be perfectly capable of it, eh, if you'd allow it, that's the trick. Yet between 2002 and 2004, this enigmatic British songwriter came very close to squaring the circle; amidst the pleasant and relatively solid glam rock revisited in a '90s key, with that touch of "damned" naivety of "Bloodsport," the last album under the name Sneaker Pimps and the first act of his solo career, one could say Chris Corner gave his best during this transition period, especially in terms of continuity and quantity. New moniker, new sounds: with "Kiss + Swallow" CC experimented with a 100% electronic sound, with overall happy outcomes; the idea was right, regardless of an overall result that could still be improved. Yes, because an album with twelve songs all more or less around five minutes long, unless the level is truly high, always ends up feeling sluggish and redundant in some episodes, it's mathematical, but the basic intentions are winning and the standout episodes remain well impressed.

The appeal of this album lies entirely in its ability to effectively evoke a lustful and decadent imagery: ambiguity, voluptuous rhythms, a voice with a Bowie setting, futuristic yet suffused with carnal passion atmospheres. Brothels, parties, makeup, masks, burlesque, black latex; "Kiss + Swallow" evokes these kinds of images, also due to Chris Corner's look who, like a good aspiring glam star, pays extreme attention to this aspect. But here he had already gone beyond the rank of "aspiring": in short, someone who brings out a steamy and perfectly constructed piece like "Sailor" is someone who really knows how to do it, and then "Kiss And Swallow", "Your Joy Is My Low", "White Suburb Impressionism", "Skin Vision", "Naked But Safe", the techno digression of "You Stick It In Me". A tracklist like an indecent proposal, enriched by some melancholic and atmospheric slow tracks like "Simple Girl", "I Like Pretending" and especially "Missile"; perfect beats, a great sense of theatricality, credible performances, almost never forced or over the top, evident but not too blatant references to Bowie and Soft Cell (the latter especially in the title track). With such a foundation, Chris Corner could have initiated a true Glam renaissance, projecting its stylistic elements into a modern and credible dimension, and yet no, after "Kiss + Swallow" one disappointment after another, with some occasional glimmers. In a few months, the new album will be released, and the single circulating gives hope; could it finally be the right time? If it's not a last call, it's not far off. For now, dear Chris Corner remains a charismatic enigma, or an already multiple-reoffending flatterer; I'm not asking for much, in the end it suffices for me if he limits Brian Molko-like shrieks as much as possible, and everything else should fall into place, whether he returns to the sounds of "Kiss + Swallow" or decides to follow new paths, what's important for him is to give a sign of discontinuity and finally demonstrate all his class.