The Alternative (album)

The Alternative is the second album by English musical artist IAMX, released on 28 April 2006 in Europe and a year later in the UK and Ireland. It was re-issued on Metropolis Records in the US on 6 May 2008. It is the second IAMX album to contain tracks intended for the aborted Sneaker Pimps album SP4. 2008 US editions differ significantly from the original 2006 version. Many of the songs were significantly re-recorded or remixed, most noticeably "The Negative Sex" and "Spit It Out", as well as "The Alternative", "Nightlife" and "Song of Imaginary Beings". "This Will Make You Love Again" is among a handful of songs to have been edited to include vocals by Janine Gezang. The re-released versions also include a string version of "Spit It Out" as a hidden track. The original album and the reissues also carry alternate covers.

The Alternative
Studio album by IAMX
Released	28 April 2006
Genre	Electropop, dark cabaret, electronic rock[1]
Length	45:22
Label	Major Vision Music Anorak Supersport Acute Music No Carbon Metropolis
Producer	Chris Corner
IAMX chronology
Your Joy Is My Low Remixes (2005) The Alternative (2006) IAMIXED (2008)

The album features several songs with lyrics by Sneaker Pimps member Liam Howe and lyrical co-writer for the same band, Ian Pickering, as well as lyrical collaborations with Sue Denim and a musical collaboration with Russian musician Igor Vdovin.

Release and promotion

The Alternative was released on 28 April 2006 in Germany, Poland, Austria and Benelux countries. It was released in the UK the following year through record label No Carbon, and in the US in 2008 through Metropolis.

"Nightlife" was used heavily in the promotion for the vampire film We Are the Night. It is also featured in a sequence in the film which features no dialogue but contains images set to the song.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	favourable[2]
DIY	[3]
The Skinny	[1]

AllMusic's review was generally favourable, with reviewer Dave Shim describing it as "a stately blend of melancholic reverie and rugged post-industrial atmospheres".[2] The Skinny's Liam Arnold described it as "a raging piece of erotically charged, retro-futurist electro-pop. And it's bloody brilliant."[1]

Track listing

All music is composed by Chris Corner, except where noted.

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"President"			3:54
2.	"The Alternative"			4:00
3.	"Nightlife"	Corner, Sue Denim		4:21
4.	"Lulled by Numbers"	Ian Pickering		4:01
5.	"Song of Imaginary Beings"	Corner, Denim, Howe, Pickering	Corner, Liam Howe, Pickering	4:27
6.	"The Negative Sex"			3:08
7.	"Bring Me Back a Dog"			3:23
8.	"S.H.E"		Corner, Igor Vdovin	3:58
9.	"Spit It Out"			3:34
10.	"After Every Party I Die"	Corner, Howe, Pickering		3:50
11.	"This Will Make You Love Again"	Corner, Pickering		4:39

2008 reissue bonus track

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Spit It Out (String Version)"	5:52

Charts

Chart	Peak position
Austria[4]	55
Belgium Ultratop (Wallonia)	31

References

1. Arnold, Dave (6 January 2008). "IAMX – The Alternative – Album Review – The Skinny". The Skinny. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
2. Shim, Dave. "The Alternative – IAMX | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
3. Meller, David (2 November 2007). "IAMX – The Alternative : Album Reviews on This Is Fake DIY". This Is Fake DIY. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
4. https://www.ultratop.be/nl/album/8636/IAMX-The-Alternative

External links

• The Alternative at Discogs (list of releases)