Volatile Times has been released here in the United States as a reworked digital only version ! I just bought my copy from Amazon, but it's also available as a download from iamx.eu
Volatile Times has been released here in the United States as a reworked digital only version ! I just bought my copy from Amazon, but it's also available as a download from iamx.eu
I'm almost finished my first listen of it. It's quite odd, being that used to the original. The reworked I Salute You Christopher is miles better than the original, IMO. The added piano on Dance With Me is quite nice, too.
Kinda pissed off about the removal of the intro to Oh Beautiful Town, to be honest.
what's the story behind re-working the whole album?
No story behind it, as far as I know. Chris Corner has done this with The Alternative too for the UK release. There are different versions of 3 out of the 5 IAMX albums . For the first album there is the 'recall' demo version which is quite different than the studio release. The second album has two versions one being 'reworked' and now the 4th album has also been reworked for the US release.
I rather like having the different versions of songs. I think most of the time it's an improvement . Now that I have all these I'm going to have to make a new playlist, or maybe combine VT with TuF together to make one crazy dark album... The song order is off on this release anyway!
Forgot to post in this, but my Pledge reward of the handwritten lyrics came two weeks ago. I got my request of Oh Beautiful Town fulfilled!
2 weeks ago!?!? Quite a wait.
Yeah, they sent an email just after the release of the album saying it would be two weeks after the release date, then another a few days later saying "Due to them tour, these will be sent out in a few months" and then there was nothing until January saying they were sending them in February.
Those acoustic sessions Chris performed lately are bloody brilliant.
I missed both of them because of scheduling conflicts which sucks, but I'm happy to hear they're going well! Wish I lived in LA so I could witness the residency he'll be doing soon...
Kiss and Swallow session:
The Alternative session (apologies for double post but it's saying only one video per post):
Setlist from the first residency show in LA:
I Come With Knives
The Alternative
Mercy
Volatile Times
Bernadette
You Can Be Happy
Your Joy Is My Low
President
Spit It Out
-----------------------------
Missile
Sorrow
Missile sounded bloody brilliant. I hope it's played again tonight and someone gets a full-length with good quality.
Second residency show: same as above, but with This Will Make You Love Again also being played. NNNNRGH SO GOOD.
I edited an alt version of the debut IAMX album Kiss + Swallow if anyone wants to check it out http://goo.gl/744WWI
Most of the songs are different in various ways from the studio release. I overlaid the instrumentals with the recall (demo) versions of the songs mostly. There are added blips and bleeps, and guitar (Heatwave) Skin vision has alternate lyrics
Crowdfunding for IAMX6 has started - http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/iamxmusic
This was a really bad time of the year to start this.
Album/tour funding has reached its goal (106% as of this) and they've released a promo video on the site. If those are clips are from the album, then someone's gone full-on industrial.
New single - Happiness.
Evidently, they uploaded it a day early and it was set as unlisted. Somehow, the link got out and they've set it as private until tomorrow.
Here's a transcript of the lyrics to tide you all over -
I know I'll never feel the same
I know I might never accept the change
But I want
Happiness
Staring blank at my screen
Waiting for a sign, waiting for a smile
To come to me
Happiness
Every day, the news is death
You power-drunk fuckers are filling my head
With despair
Not happiness
Liars, liars, liars
Maybe I became too clean
Maybe the drugs are the only way to be free
Or happiness
No breaking the anxiety
The man I would try to, but could never be
Faded out
With happiness
Every day, hypocrisy
I see the zombies walking down the street
And it kills me
Their happiness
Liars, liars, liars
Happiness, happiness
Happiness, happiness
Happiness, happiness
Happiness, happiness
Come to me now
Happiness, happiness
Happiness
Happiness, happiness
Last edited by slave2thewage; 06-19-2015 at 12:00 PM.
Holy shit.
Here's the story so far - someone who knows Chris put a link up to a large ZIP file on a Facebook fan album and it turned out to be an unmastered version of the album. The post was deleted almost immediately and the band know about it and are taking steps. But I've heard it. I won't send it out since I was feeding info back to the IAMX camp regarding the file and they are PISSED, but here's my mini-track by track review under the spoilers.
Spoiler: It's REALLY good. Chris wasn't lying about it being more electronic - there's only guitar on Happiness and MAYBE No Maker Made Me. Musically, it reminded me of Sneaker Pimps, Muse, Depeche Mode and Gary Numan hanging out at an industrial rave.
No Maker Made Me - you can hear a bit in the pledge video. Loud and angry, reminded me a little of Music People.
Happiness - still works on the album, though I've overplayed it a bit.
North Star - probably my favourite track on the album. Warbling synths at the start with Chris singing, big four-on-the-floor beat kicks in halfway through the first chorus and the song just builds into this industrial techno stomper. Love it.
Say Hello Melancholia - the mid-tempo stretch of the album begins. It's a good song, but it's a grower and (IMO) the closest thing to a filler track on the album.
The Background Noise - Choirs. Piano that turns into arpeggiated synth. The most bitter, sarcastic lyrics ever in the verses. Joint favourite track on the album.
Insomnia - piano-lead ballad that becomes oddly sexualised halfway through. Very interesting song.
Look Outside - short, brooding track about LA. The synths remind me of Gary Numan/Ultra-era DM.
Oh Cruel Darkness Embrace Me - Right, this IS a good song, but it's in that funk-style that Chris does sometimes that I'm not really a fan of. Another track against modern society.
Aphrodisiac - think Cold Red Light being covered by Intimacy-era Bloc Party. Very high falsetto on the verses. Giant synth riff.
Surrender - 3/4 mid-tempo number about leaving Berlin. Very atmospheric and some gorgeous vocals.
Wildest Wind - the musical cousin to Avalanches. A piano ballad that rises into a slight cacophony and fades away.
Lossless download now available for Pledge people
Its exquisite.
Always heard good things about IAMX but never actually heard the music or knew anything about 'em till last night when my gf decided we should check out the Boston show since she's into them, I'm still visiting her in New Hampshire, and it was cheap and only an hour away. It was the day of the show before we realized we could make it though and we almost didn't go since it was impossible to find out if tickets would still be available by the time we got there, but DAMN I'm glad we chanced it because the show was AWESOME and there were only maybe a hundred other people there! So, needless to say, we got right up front and I filmed the whole show. Looking forward to posting it someday! \m/
New material - an 'addendum' to Metanoia - is coming in September or October. Also, I finally caught them live for the first time since 2011 last month in Manchester. They were basically playing in the back room of a hipster bar. It was immense. And, yet again, I had to sing into the mic at their shows. Third time seeing them, third time having to do that.
I could imagine WORSE fates! Such a fun band to see live. And OMFG I was crushing SO hard on the two chicks the whole time, especially the badass, superfun bassist. Rawr.
I still don't really know much about them (obviously), but I've had the chance to watch my footage on a few TVs lately and I am still SO excited to share it whenever the opportunity finally presents itself. Some it is REALLY good and it sounds fucking awesome.
Sucks that they're forever tied to memories of my ex but I also drink too much so it's all good.
Trying my best to forget all that, lol.
Dear friends,
Here's a gift for you. A sketch for 'Look Outside', recorded into Chris' phone while he was writing Metanoia. While we are working hard to finish booking the fall IAMX tours, we thought this might sweeten your waiting time. You're welcome.
(To download, subscribe on the link below. If you've already subscribed, check your inbox)
www.iamx.fanbridge.com
The 'addendum' EP will be called Everything Is Burning. The tracklist just appeared on the official Facebook page.
1. Everything is Burning
2. Dead in This House
3. Triggers
4. Scars
5. The Void
6. Eternity
7. Turning Crimson
'Dead in This House' was recorded for The Unified Field, with the demo randomly showing up on that How To Get Away With Murder show a while back. A snippet of 'Turning Crimson' was given to pledgers for Metanoia in early 2015. That's all the details I have so far.