Kingdom of Welcome Addiction

Sneaker Pimps founding member Chris Corner began performing as the drippingly seductive electro-pop persona IAMX in 2004. Named after the Sneaker Pimps album Becoming X, Corner had effectively become "X," which he described as an ever-changing variable. Adopting the trappings of mid-'80s electro-pop and new wave acts like New Order, the Cure, and Depeche Mode with his pounding, reverb-swathed, synth-washed compositions, Corner's work as IAMX represented a notable departure from his work with the Sneaker Pimps. His first full-length as IAMX, Kiss & Swallow, was released on Recall in 2004; many of the songs on the debut were originally written for a fourth Sneaker Pimps album that never materialized. His sophomore album, The Alternative, and a live album from the subsequent tour (Live in Warsaw) followed in 2008. In 2009, Corner released Kingdom of Welcome Addiction, which featured a darker, harder-edged sound, and included an inspired guest spot by Imogen Heap. A remix album -- the anagram Dogmatic Infidel Comedown OK -- was also released the same year. After releasing a fourth album, the icy, dance-tinged Volatile Times (2011), IAMX reunited with Jim Abbiss, who worked with the Sneaker Pimps on Becoming X, and released The Unified Field in March 2013. In late 2015, he released the dramatic Metanoia, a sinister dubby update of his usual sound. As with his previous works, the album themes featured a dark, vampirish sensibility and dealt with topics like sexual fluidity, androgyny, emotional darkness, and decadence. ~ Margaret Reges & Neil Z. Yeung