Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction

On 2006's The Alternative, former Sneaker Pimp Chris Corner insisted, "I want to know how to survive in the nightlife," but the album's sultry club beats and sexual confidence suggested he should be the one dispensing advice. Yet for all of his pulsing rhythms and S&M imagery, Corner has always been most seductive, musically speaking, during his slow songs. Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction contains three more gorgeous ballads (the endearingly vulnerable "I Am Terrified," the deliriously gloomy "The Stupid The Proud" and the subtly poignant finale "Running"), establishing Corner as the most captivating falsetto since Muse's Matthew Bellamy. This time, even the upbeat material feels more graceful than lurid, especially "Think Of England," which plays like a Coldplay remix, and the delicately grand title track. Perhaps the true key to surviving the nightlife is moderation.

Metropolis http://www.metropolis-records.com