IAMX - The Alternative Album Review
Now where did I leave my black eyeliner?
Like Pitchshifter, if J.S. Clayden had been a fan of Bowie and Erol Alkan instead of raves, Ministry and Greenpeace, Chris Corner's second album under the IAMX moniker is a raging piece of erotically charged, retro-futurist electro-pop. And it's bloody brilliant. Finally seeing a UK release after being available for over a year in Europe, it will doubtlessly intrigue the Sneaker Pimps' fans of the 90s, referencing their brand of experimental electro-pop. However, IAMX is an altogether different beast, as those who heard Kiss and Swallow will attest, and sounds more like Marilyn Manson's poppier cousin, as well as presenting a similarly androgynous, debauched character. Unlike Manson's latest effort, the music speaks for itself and The Alternative, Nightlife and Negative Sex all pump along like the disco-punk of P.I.L. with lyrics about bisexuality, narcotics and personal darkness. It seems at first like there's a few too many downbeat numbers, but these grow on the listener after a few spins, and it's a hard to pick out a bad track on here. Now where did I leave my black eyeliner? [Liam Arnold]
Read our review of The Alternative album by IAMX