Released: May 19th 2009

Glam band IAMX is not as well-known or well-regarded by music snobs as Chris Corner‘s other project, the Sneaker Pimps, but with the release of a frankly fantastic third album, Kingdom of Welcome Addiction, on the heels of a fantastic second, doubters need not apply.

Immediately hitting it off on a large scale, “Nature of Inviting” sounds as a late-night dance track should, a pervasive beat running through a highly charged song, with Chris belting it out for all he’s worth. “The Stupid, The Proud” and “I Am Terrified” slow down the pace; though far from ballads (that honor belongs to “Running”), they lend a melancholy gravity to the album, which exposes Chris‘s “bleeding heart” side admirably.

“My Secret Friend” is a stand-out track, featuring Imogen Heap in a pitch-perfect duet, Imogen‘s smoky vocals complimenting Chris‘s tenor until they blend into one. And the title track is a marvel of melody and oompa-oompa percussion, whirling so dizzily that it borders on the hypnotic. “The Great Shipwreck of Life” has a fairground feel to it with its tambourine and bells, a more upbeat score to a song that suggests that “we all fall down.”

Previously published on The Owl Mag.