Greetings cherished programmers, it’s Andy Gesner and the staff from HIP Video Promo, here with an entertaining new clip from a true indie artist. When Chris Corner left cosmopolitan England for the sweet anonymity of Berlin a few years ago, some close to his IAMX project worried that he’d separated himself from the music industry, and that his public profile would suffer from the remove. No reason to fret here: when you’re as well-respected as Corner is, there’s really no reason not to forego the biz and take an independent route. IAMX fans would follow Corner anywhere: they believe he speaks for them. Surely no electropop vocalist has ever championed the misfit and the unorthodox with any more passion than he has. It’s in everything he does – the words he writes, the songs he sings, and even the clothes he wears.

Ah, yes, the clothes. It’s impossible to talk about IAMX without mentioning Corner’s wardrobe and make-up design, and the Yorkshire-born singer and songwriter wouldn’t want it any other way. Chris Corner is the possessor of one of the most remarkable senses of style in pop music – part camp-theatre, part sado-masochistic transgressor, part vintage Adam Ant, part new-wave spaceman. You’ll remember his star-spangled, top-hatted, leather-clad appearance in the “Spit It Out” clip we sent you a few months ago: he cut a flaming streak across the screen. With his razor-sharp cheekbones and chin and his rail-thin physique, he’s a natural for the camera, and his videos for IAMX have invariably been stylish, exciting, racy, and maybe even a little dangerous.

Of course, none of that would matter at all if the songs weren’t so good. Thankfully, Corner’s scintillating electropop more than lives up to the promise of his clips. “President”, the lead track on the revealing The Alternative, is IAMX at its most intriguing and empathetic: a celebration of difference, and balm for all the “lonely boys” who don’t feel at home in the mainstream. Over a startlingly-original track reminiscent of European music-hall and cabaret, Chris Corner sings out against those who “fall in line and salute the safest thing”. It’s not an angry condemnation – IAMX doesn’t make that kind of record. Instead, Corner sounds rueful: regretting those who’ve sacrificed their individuality, and quietly praising those who’ve chosen to go their own way.

Each IAMX video showcases a slightly new look for Chris Corner, and the “President” clip is no exception. The frontman appears here in a white top hat, a tattered and loose leather bodysuit, and a gold sash across his shoulder; in his hands he wields a short baton, which he swings and thrusts for emphasis as he sings. There’s a strip of tape under his left eye and dark makeup in the center of his lips, and the right corner of his mouth is decorated with small black diamonds. His band looks no less arresting: the drummer, for instance, wears a silver robe, suspenders, and a powdered wig. All the musicians are adorned with the same yellow-gold strip that decorates the singer – and the amplifiers and bass drum. And if that isn’t eye-catching enough, the entire stage on which they perform is illuminated by swinging bulbs. They hang from wooden rafters on marionette-strings; like Corner and his musicians, they move as if they’ve been jerked into life by an unseen puppeteer.

We want to thank the good folks at Metropolis Records for bringing us yet another incredible IAMX video. And this time around, you will have the chance to catch IAMX live in select US markets during the month of September. We would love to set you up with a video interview or copies of The Alternative, so drop us a line and we’ll make it happen! If you need more info, call Andy Gesner at 732-613-1779 or e-mail us at HIPVideo@aol.com. You can also visit www.Metropolis-Records.com, or www.IAMX.co.uk to find out more about IAMX.

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For info about IAMX's previous video, "Spit It Out" click HERE