•
Rating:
THE REVIEW
The Darkness in Becoming X.
The world definitely needs prophets in bad faith because the "good" ones have led us to darkness.
It's no coincidence that in 2003 Chris Corner disbanded the Sneaker Pimps project: too much romanticism and consequently too many compromises to follow with the music industry, with the world, with life? Paraphrasing the title of the first Sneaker ("Becoming X"), the British electrowriter abandons emotional oscillation, which has always been a companion to his compositions, focusing entirely on the dark unknown, from Chrysalis to nothingness, skipping the Butterfly...
IAMX, I am X: so much confidence in confessing one's inadequacy to classifications ends up disarming, without defenses I find myself facing lyrics that speak of sex, drugs, and violence, without defenses I find myself drowning amidst dark synthetic melodies and decadent atmospheres where the light never peeks in. In no corner of the sonic room where Corner is hosting me.
Written in 2003, completely alone, in a London studio "Kiss + Swallow" is a completely electronic album, ideally suspended between the '80s and '90s and can be considered a first step toward the formal perfection that will be reached in the subsequent "The Alternative" (2007). A painting of the background of a pessimistic vision that admits no objections, waiting to elaborate all the right brushes for conceiving the self-portrait of Despair.
From the electric PopRock of "Your Joy Is My Low" to the synthetic lyricism of "Simple Girl" passing through the dark funk of "Naked But Safe" the album flows sweetly in the darkness leaving me dramatically enveloped: and with the end of the last track, the return to the Sun can never be more painful.
Loading comments slowly
Summary by Bot
Kiss + Swallow marks Chris Corner's bold departure from Sneaker Pimps with a dark, electronic album rooted in ’80s and ’90s synth sounds. The album explores deep themes of sex, drugs, and despair, wrapped in decadent, synthetic melodies. Recorded solo in 2003, it stands as an early, confident step toward artistic perfection. Its moods are intense and immersive, drawing listeners into a shadowy, emotional world with no escape to light.
IAMX
IAMX is the solo project of English musician Chris Corner (born 1974, Middlesbrough), co-founder of Sneaker Pimps. Launched in 2004, it blends dark electronic textures, synthpop hooks, and theatrical, glam-inflected aesthetics.05 Reviews
Other reviews
By Danny The Kid
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.
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.
