IAMX - THE ALTERNATIVE (2006)

For my first post, I've decided to go with ex-Sneaker Pimps frontman Chris Corner's most successful-to-date realization of his grand, theatrical Berlin post-goth ruminations: The Alternative. The second IAMX album, it followed 2004's rather juvenile and unfocussed Kiss + Swallow, a rambling explosion of songs that could have been shorter by half. Since The Alternative, Corner has put out three ho-hum albums, each one a progressively impure dilution of his goth-rock sound, and his songwriting (which was never that strong to begin with, really - he's always been more about sound and mood) has also worsened with age, leaving his last three albums sounding kind of like Madonna albums always do - amazing production, great hooks and plenty of attitude, but no real meat under the skin. It seems The Alternative was where he peaked.

And what a peak it is. The Alternative is forty-four minutes of deliciously gloomy stripped-down electronica, gliding assuredly through unabashedly sex-and-drug-laced lyrics, with Corner's angelic sigh of a voice inviting you along for the ride, if you think you can keep up with him. After an undeservedly bombastic opener, the party gets going with the title track, a ferocious glam rock stomp that immediately brings Corner's lyrics to the forefront.

Gone are the awkward shock-rock posturings of Kiss + Swallow's lyrics, replaced by subtler insinuations that speak more toward the intimacy and bonding of sex, rather than trying to embarrass the listener with cheesy wordplay about bisexuality and cum-swallowing. This stays on as a theme in some of The Alternative's stronger tracks, always delivered convincingly in Corner's signature soaring, reverb-laden croon.

Both Kiss + Swallow and The Alternative contain a selection of unused Sneaker Pimps songs, but they are more fully realized on The Alternative, more concise and rounded. Song Of Imaginary Beings is no longer the emotionless plod glimpsed on the unreleased demos for the fourth Sneaker Pimps album, but a wonderfully melodramatic glide across thin, despondent synths. After Every Party I Die remains relatively unchanged, but Corner saves the most dramatic alteration for last: This Will Make You Love Again transforms from anthem to ballad, with its drum machine and lurching bassline traded in for the lonely romance of a grand piano. Personally, I feel the track works well in both versions, but the grandeur and splendor of The Alternative's rendition is undeniably more fitting, giving the song room to breathe. The only shame is that it's such a great party album, and one more party track at the end would have been nice. I've certainly never tried putting the piano version on when I'm deejaying.

But the best songs are the ones written specifically for the album, no question. Nightlife is a stark, industrial rave number, all bones bared and no punches pulled, while Lulled By Numbers is a gorgeously unnerving production showcase, all slow build and gentle touches. The Negative Sex is a rock-solid rock anthem, complete with ass-kicking guitar lick and spiteful, sneering lyrics... and then of course, there's Spit It Out.

It takes chutzpah to write a song like Spit It Out. It's so basic in its layout and feel, but there's an irresistible charm to how confidently it boldly goes where lots of bands have gone before. It just sits there in all its nu-romantic electro-pop glory, daring you to hate it for being so unoriginal, but you just can't. It's just that fucking good. The lyrics are especially daring, eschewing all subtlety and even rhyme to simply belt out phrases like "the past is weakness - don't beg the question when the answer is war" with absolutely no shame. Even the fucking chorus to the song is "it breaks my heart that we live this way/I know people need love/but people never play the game." It's so deliciously shlocky that it's brilliant.

As mentioned earlier, Corner followed The Alternative with a string of disappointments that fail to deliver on almost all counts, except for the occasional bout of brilliance such as I Am Terrified and The Unified Field's title track. It's interesting to note that both those songs see more of Corner throwing caution to the wind and simply daring to be simple, rather than overthinking it. It doesn't seem to matter how hard he tries, because he's at his best when he isn't trying at all.

And on that count, The Alternative delivers in spades. Put on your eyeliner, don't skimp on the black leather, leave your brain and your shame at home and come and motherfucking party to this: it's techno-goth at its heart-rending best.