Chicago’s got a rich tradition of giving birth to bands that mix electronic elements into a traditional rock sound. Corporate X is the latest Windy City band to seamlessly blend these sounds into a rich and ornate soundscape with hypnotic female vocals (thanks to Christine DeLeon) and a hip-hop element as evidenced on the band’s forthcoming debut release, Surrender (in stores and on the web October 16). The man responsible for most of the sounds on the EP, Casper Xavier, took a few minutes to answer a few questions about the third track on Surrender, “Signs”.
MP3: “Signs”
Is track 3 representative of the whole CD?
I would have to say that “Signs” is very representative of the entire CD both lyrically and musically. While “Signs” is considered more of a “Power Ballad” in structure, it still retains the power and message that is conveyed throughout the CD which deal with issues of life, love, loss, longing, and finality through reflection and growth of the everyday person. Thus, the title Surrender.
What’s the story behind the song – from the lyrical content to the way it was written and recorded?
Track 3 is a special song for us. Traditionally I would write the music and Christine would write the vocal and melody on the finished tracks. But it wasn’t so with this song. “Signs” was initially met with resistance in that the musical structure started out a bit more basic and a lot more sensibility than what we were writing at the time. So it ended up on the backburner while Christine concentrated on better produced songs in our arsenal.
But something about the song kept eating away at me and a voice kept saying “this is the one”. So I took a gamble and wrote some lyrics that were reflective of issues we were having in our everyday struggles of life. Lyrics about being able to recognize the signs that most of us fail to see everyday. The signs are all around to help us through those struggles. You know, kinda like that feeling of intuition we all get when we encounter the forks in the road of life.
I reluctantly recorded a melody in my basement studio and showed Christine. That’s when it all clicked. Being able to recognize the potential of the songs Christine shifted into full gear, smoothed out the melody, grabbed the mic and cranked out an amazing performance. A lot of those original recordings are still on the mastered versions. Ironically to our surprise, “Signs” was the song that was first picked by our producer and then label, to be the single.
Was there a particular reason you placed this song in the #3 spot on the track listing?
There was no real thought to the placement of “Signs”. We metaphorically just threw the songs in the air and that’s where it landed. It just seemed the right spot in the whole “feel” of how the songs should progress throughout the CD. It has always lived in the number 3 spot.