''Kiss + Swallow'' is the debut album by

IAMX IAMX is the solo musical project of Chris Corner founded in 2002 in London, London, England after the hiatus of his former band Sneaker Pimps. It is an independent music project with a secondary focus on the experimentation of visual art. Chri ...

and was released on 13 July 2004. It mostly consists of tracks that were recorded for the unreleased fourth studio album by

Sneaker Pimps Sneaker Pimps are an English electronic music band, formed in Hartlepool in 1994. They are best known for their debut album, '' Becoming X'' (1996), and its singles " 6 Underground" and " Spin Spin Sugar". The band takes its name from an articl ...

, which is dubbed "SP4" by the fans.

Overview

''Kiss + Swallow'' was an extreme departure from

Chris Corner Christopher Anthony Corner (born 23 January 1974) is an English record producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, singer and video artist. He was a founding member of the band Sneaker Pimps alongside Liam Howe, and is now active with his sol ...

's work with

. Almost completely electronic, the album incorporates driving synth-rock ("Kiss + Swallow", "Your Joy Is My Low"), lush, atmospheric, melody driven ballads ("Mercy", "I Like Pretending", "Simple Girl") and groove-based, erotic electro ("Sailor", "Naked But Safe", "You Stick It In Me"). The album was recorded entirely in

's private home studio in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

between late 2003 and early 2004. A demo version of this album also exists. This so-called "US Promo" was leaked to the internet shortly after the official release. Most tracks are similar to the finished product. However, some tracks, such as "Skin Vision", "Simple Girl", "Sailor" and "You Stick It In Me" (known on the promo as "Life? Question?", are noticeably different and include different music, different melodies and in the case of "Skin Vision", completely different lyrics.

Release

The single "Your Joy Is My Low" was first released on IAMX's debut promo EP ''

Your Joy Is My Low ''Your Joy Is My Low'' is the debut EP by IAMX IAMX is the solo musical project of Chris Corner founded in 2002 in London, London, England after the hiatus of his former band Sneaker Pimps. It is an independent music project with a secondary ...

'' in Austria during his first tour in June 2004. Only 222 copies were made available. A one track promo CD single was released in 2004 by Belgian label Anorak Supersport. On 26 May 2005, a remix maxi-single titled ''Your Joy Is My Low Remixes'' was released on the Anorak Supersport label (Belgium). Only 500 copies were made available for distribution. It was also released as a digital download. On 10 July 2020 the digital version was re-released as ''Your Joy Is My Low - EP'' with the same cover as the EP ''Your Joy Is My Low'' from 2004. Another single, "Missile", was released in 2005 as a

promo single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...

with another track "This Will Make You Love Again". The latter appeared on his 2006 album '' The Alternative''. Two music videos were released for "Missile." One consists almost entirely of an upside down, overhead shot of Corner in a bathtub, with his head underwater and a strip of tape over his mouth. Over the course of the video, the message written on the tape changes from 'LOVE ME' to 'HATE ME' to 'HELP ME' as a hand appears in shot and forces his head to stay under. The second features Corner's girlfriend at the time, Sue Denim of the band

Robots in Disguise Robots in Disguise are an English electropunk band composed of Dee Plume (vocals and guitar), Sue Denim (vocals and bass) and a changing line-up of backing musicians. The group released four studio albums between 2000 and 2011. History ...

and, in keeping with IAMX's music, is highly erotic, featuring S&M and bondage, with Denim as a

dominatrix A dominatrix ( ; or dominatrices ), or domme, is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. The BDSM practice is called female dominance, or femdom. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily l ...

of sorts, with Corner at her mercy. The video ends with her giving him a glowing capsule and forcing him to swallow it, at the same time as the lyric "You're taking my life away" is sung. During live concerts, Chris Corner has introduced "Sailor" with the preface, "This is for all you

bi-curious Bi-curious (also bicurious) is a term for a person, usually someone who is a self-identified heterosexual, who is curious or open about engaging in sexual activity with a person whose sex differs from that of their usual sexual partners. The term ...

people out there". In 2006, the album was reissued with two additional tracks: "I-Polaroids" and the Moonbootica remix of "Kiss and Swallow". Both "IAMX" and "Kiss and Swallow" are listed as a single track on the reissue. "Kiss and Swallow (Moonbootica Remix)" was previously released on the "Kiss & Swallow" single. On 17 June 2008 ''Kiss + Swallow'' was re-released in the US. This release carries an alternative cover.

Overview

Release

Track listing

Charts

References