Corporate X are a highly -buzzed about band consisting of Casper Xavier on programming and vocalist Christine DeLeon. When I first heard them a few years ago, there was potential that had not quite crystallized. Their latest record, The X Project, is a fully realized effort. It’s tough to produce such a stylistically varied record, genre-wise, but Corporate X succeeds.
Their music is a stylistic concoction of indie, alternative, rock, downtempo, and synth pop. The songs themselves are steeped in melodies and hooks, with guitars, synths, drums, and a wide variety of soundscapes that float across the rhythm. As good as the music is, the real deal-sealer here is DeLeon’s ethereal vocals.
“Catch Me” is a good starting point; it’s an addictive slice of indie electro pop. DeLeon’s vocals sit perched above the beat, lending a nice counterpoint to the groove. I have a sense that this will be on my top tracks of 2011 year end list. “Take Me Away" goes further along the indie dance route, upping the BPMs, but avoiding the trappings of the usual trance/house sampled sounds. “Away” also has a serious Euro (the party-loving kind, not the doomed currency) feel about it. It very well may be a hit on Ibiza.
“Valerie Loves Me’ is very chillwave, with a nod to Washed Out while “Leave Me Alone” starts out with a heavy guitar riff, pounding into a Britpop sound reminiscent of Echobelly or Elastica. Even with the evocation of other bands and sounds, Corporate X doesn’t ape them, rather they incorporate influences into an eclectic style of their own.
The interplay between Xavier’s music and DeLeon’s vocals are exceptional. There’s a real tightness to the songs. The guitars and arrangements, even on the tech-heavy songs, keep an organic feel to the music, which can often fall by the wayside with such a heavy presence of programmed sounds.
For more information on Corporate X go to their Facebook page.
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