Corporate X
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Music
Press
If Corporate X is as business-minded as its name suggests, then Surrender finds this dance-rock act easily settling in for a little casual Friday behavior. It contains no lyrical equivalents to flow charts. Instead, it features songs about real life.
This act’s central player is Christine DeLeon, who fills these six tracks with eeriness that is reminiscent of Garbage’s Shirley Manson. Yet whereas Manson gets a little Charles Manson- angry at times, DeLeon mainly resorts to woe-is-me pain. She sheds Al Gore-sized tears over Earth’s travails with “Mother Earth” then confesses to falling in love during “With You”.
A song like “With You” is also one of Corporate X’s Garbage-ist of all. It alternates between skittering percussion and chunky guitar riffs similar to Butch Vig’s popular outfit. “Walk Away” borrows its electronic percussion ideas from old New Order dances mixes, but then adds acoustic guitar and DeLeon’s breathy vocals on top. Then with “Soul”, DeLeon plays the sad Monday morning quarterback over a relationship gone sour.
Corporate X is readymade to become public radio darlings. But with the right breaks, I can also picture tracks like “With You” ending up in regular rotation on modern rock radio.
Review By: Dan MacIntosh - Skope Magazine
I hesitated reviewing this, because I was expecting awful emo-tinged Hot Topic punk. I mean, they’re called Corporate X.
But damn – this is pretty far from emo punk. Corporate X is a side project of Van Christie from Die Warzau. The music isn’t industrial, but has a dark wave feel with thick, moody production, slight lo-fi electronic touches, and gothy, hushed female vocals. It’s actually quite appealingly ethereal in a 90s alterna-goth way, without sounding dated.
The vocals are the high point. Although wispy and fragile, the vocals stand their ground among both fuzzy guitar bursts and bloop n’ bleep effects, and somehow fit really well with the style. (The vox remind me a little of the singer from Chicklet.) The lovey dovey lyrics aren’t strong – the first two tracks “Mother Earth” and “With You” are almost embarrassingly sappy – but the vox manage to pull them off.
5 tracks plus a cool lo-fi electro remix of “With You.” I really dug “Walk Away” (not a Sisters cover), which starts off like a New Order song and then turns into Freezepop.
Overall Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewer: Adam Coozer - Readjunk.com - Readjunk.com
These days, it takes any given trend about 10 years to be recycled, so it should come as no surprise that the mid-'90s style of alternative pop is seeing something of a renaissance. Of the many groups lately revisiting the sound of bands such as the Cardigans and the Cranberries, Corporate X is among the most successful.
Still unsigned, their debut EP Surrender captures both the good and the bad of the era that inspired it: the guitars deftly shift between dreamy and bombastic, and the hooks are uniformly catchy, but the rather weak lyrics will make some listeners think twice about singing along.
Like many unsigned bands, Corporate X could benefit from a producer who would spend time helping them to refine their good ideas even further; but for now, there's no reason for anyone with fond memories of 1995 not to give them a listen.
-Cameron Pershall,
KXUA Music Director - www.thetraveleronline.com
Corporate X singer Christine DeLeon has the willowy whisper of Dolores O’Riordan. But while The Cranberries strived for alternative-lite, Corporate X mix it up. Alternating between downtempo, trip-hop, straight alt-pop, and a heavy groove-oriented sound, this Chicago-based band has garnered a significant amount of buzz for their unconventional style. The band members have a wide range of backgrounds, fueling the unique vision the band is developing.
This 6-song CD (actually 5, the last song is a remix) showcases the band’s diverse musical stylings. The results are uneven. The musical driving force behind the band is Casper Xavier, who writes the music, samples, and beats. Coupled with DeLeon’s vocals, the songs come alive at points, but stay surprisingly static and motionless at others. The opening track, “Mother Earth” is propelled along by nice, sharp drumming, and a soaring vocal performance. The song is more straight ahead alt, punctuated by some interesting instrumentation.
The second song, the sublime “With You” is actually far better as a remix. The final song of the track is labeled “With You" (Van Christie Remix). The adding of loops and back beats gives a trip-hoppy feel — alternating downtempo and smoldering slowcore. If only the rest was as good. The remaining three songs are not bad, but they are not standouts. Production is well layered, you can hear the instruments, separate from the beats. The vocal mix works well with DeLeon’s voice.
Corporate X definitely has far-reaching potential. While it hasn’t quite been reached here, the traces of something greater are sprinkled throughout. Surrender is not a classic by any stretch, but it's a good starting point for a band who has the gifts to be a trendsetter in years to come.
Written by Scott Deitche
Published November 05, 2007 - blogcritics.org
"Combining elements of electronica, pop, and alternative, says you're
focused on being relevant and are
into experimentation. It is refreshing to see an artist that is forward
thinking and not sounding like
all of the horrible garage acts out there. This shows real potential".
- Braden Merrick, Northwest Regional A&R Rep for Warner Brothers.
- Braden Merrick, Northwest Regional A&R Rep for Warnar Bros.
"A unique and refreshing approach to electronic music. Lush vocals, catchy
guitar riffs, and some of
the most impressive programming I have seen utilized in alternative rock.
This is a band to pay
attention to."
- Jeremy Eckhart Grave Concerns Ezine
- Jeremy Eckhart Grave Concerns Ezine
Discography
"Surrender" EP
Available:
Itunes
www.cdbaby.com
www.cxband.com
www.myspace.com/corporatex
Photos
Bio
CORPORATE X
As children, key Corporate X members Casper Xavier and Christine DeLeon immersed themselves in music. From pounding on Cookie Monster pianos and portable plug-in organs, music permeated their creative consciousness and found a home.
Ironically, it was during his time in the strict regiment of Military Academy that Casper began delving into the depths of his musical capabilities, joking, “I joined the school band because members were able to stand at ease with their instruments instead of at attention.”
Following in the footsteps of self-produced icons Trent Reznor and Chicago great Billy Corgan, Casper—formerly of Mesclyn, a band founded by Die Warzau’s Van Christie—writes and plays almost every part. “I hear the complete song in my head: every instrument, every drum beat—every song in its entirety,” he says.
Vocal and lyrical duties are Christine’s specialty. Her delicate, hypnotic vocal melodies create a soothing trance, often reminiscent of a mother’s lullabies. “My soft voice is both my greatest strength and, at times, my biggest challenge,” she admits.
Veteran Chicago musician Shon Dervis Smith has held down bass duties for some of the city’s most successful underground bands; expanding on his innate sense of music and composition, he has recently reinvented himself as one of the Windy City’s most sought-after hip-hop DJs. Shon provides Corporate X’s backbone with a solid sense of rhythm and an uncanny ability to lock into the beat.
Rounding out the lineup is Drummer / percussionist Richie Betts who has recorded and toured with multiple Chicago acts ranging from heavy rock to soulful blues. Never wanting to become too comfortable with one style he strives to be diverse. Listening and playing to a verity of music. As the time keeper for CorporateX Richie is always challenging himself to combine fresh beats with a sensitive touch.
October 16 marks the release of Corporate X’s debut EP, Surrender. Early singles “With You” and “Mother Earth” have garnered attention in the band’s hometown of Chicago and beyond. Both songs earned a five-star ranking on Garageband.com, holding “Best of All Time” and “Track of the Week” positions.
Though Corporate X has just begun, Christine already feels fortunate. “I’m living the life I always wanted,” she maintains, “making the music I love with the people I want around me.”
With such a unique stance on music composition and exploration, Corporate X is sure to resonate with any listener lucky enough to surrender preconceived notions and be touched by discovery.
Contact:
Ph: (708) 795-5736
Cell: (312)-375-6128
Email: info@cxband.con
Web: www.cxband.com
Links
