Review by Karl Magi
Overall Album Impressions
Rogue FX’s “Corporate World" is a synth pop exploration of the increasing corporatization of our world and the effects it has on humanity and society. Despite the intensity of the themes discussed, the music has a richness and playful quality to balance the weight of topic matter. The way in which Rogue FX's unmistakable vocal style mingles with influences that have a diverse quality and the guest performers' contributions creates an album that is both thought-provoking and ear-pleasing.
A central feature of “Corporate World" is Rogue FX’s songwriting. There are messages that dig into the way in which ever growing wealth concentration, pressure to continually expand and increased inequality are reshaping and degrading the institutions of society. Each song explores some aspect of these themes and does so with clarity and piercing insight. His vocal qualities are well suited to expressing the different themes.
A mixture of different styles and synth sounds gives “Corporate World" a lively and engaging quality. Elements of New Wave music, synth pop, disco and some rock sounds create a backdrop that suits the messages within the songs. Each synth is chosen to emphasize the different moods and atmospheres of the songs, while the guitar is used for accenting and strengthening the emotion with well-performed solos.
Without question, the range and quality of the songs on “Corporate World’” is given more strength by the guest artists who've been included. Each guest brings an aspect of their music to bear on the songs and the end result is another level of musical depth which only makes each performance more engaging.
My Favourite Songs Analyzed
“The City Never Sleeps” combines distorted tones which sweep in bending curves before drums dance with an active undulation to create urban complexity. A technological cast, cold and impersonal, falls over the melody as vocals unfold with Rogue FX’s mysterious tones and distinctive delivery. Wall Street drama and the callousness of hard concrete are evoked by icy synth tones.
Seething beats interlock with a splash of synth that curls around Rogue FX’s uniquely expressive vocals, filling me with dark import, while the chanted part is deeply catchy. Disco-influenced synth wriggles with an urban halo to create funky motion. Sharp edges move with the vocal performance as it enigmatically unfolds, creating a feeling of emptiness punctuated by radiance spilling from a maze of neon lights before the song closes.
As the city rises and falls, the narrator speaks of it tempting the song’s subject out of their long-forgotten town with a “constant craving” for the next adrenaline rush 24/7. “City life can be so cruel, raising hell or Xanadu,” and as one soars into the sky, they end up flying blind.
“The city makes the plays, the city keeps the beat, sink or swim as the city never sleeps.” Our storyteller says that day-to-day life is “rinse and repeat” and a matter of fight or flight in the sleepless city. “We keep the city alive, watch for the devil inside,” as they count sirens and inhale subway smoke.
A living, breathing entity whose “blood just runs stone cold,” the city is soul-crushing in a “pressure cooker built always to endure.” To conclude, the narrator says, “Like a movie picture scene, catching fire and catching dreams, running on adrenaline, the city pulls the strings.”
A pumping underlayer is joined by orbiting melodic motion as “Computer Love” delves into a fixation on digital worlds and virtual relationships, while chimes add a blurring shimmer to start the song. Rogue FX captures the computerized, technologically based melody with precision as Oswaldo Gonzalez plays a blues-inflected lick which gives off a sapphire feeling.
Rogue FX’s vocal presence is full of confident sharpness as UFO1982 creates explosive motion, her synth lines crisp and clean. Oswaldo Gonzalez’s melodic line is graceful and the chorus calls out with precise strength. The rhythm beats with steady insistence as twisting tones wander like an unsettling screensaver and the bass growls.
I enjoy the way in which UFO1982’s luscious background mixes with Rogue FX’s characterful vocals and Oswaldo Gonzalez’s skillful playing to create enjoyable engagement. A rebounding rhythm drives forward as the guitar solo unfurls with noble muscle and sunset effulgence weaves through the music. The guitar flies with uplifting strength one more time before sailing into silence.
Mingled emotions flow through the narrator “as the virtual insanity takes shape.” The silicon chips in his head blur every moment, mashing together reality and fantasy in his “computer love.” As the systems take control and “real love’s getting old,” he loses his own self-control and feels “like it’s swallowing me whole.”
Now our tale's teller has “computer love running through my veins, artificial love, different and the same.” He asks for the doctor to help him because “I’m burning up from the perfect motion.” His addiction is cursed and blessed as he has to get his “kicks online, in my private time.” He’s too weak to keep control, and he just wants to “hear your voice and how you say my name.”
There’s nothing physical; everything is artificial, and as the narrator boots up the program, “it’s removing all intelligence of thought.” However, he feels deep shame as, over and over again, computer love takes hold, and it is “systematically resuscitating me” with an electrical jolt. He points out that “this weird science has put the virus in me,” to the point that he’s become the virus, “and now the drama is real.”
As the song concludes, he says, “no more physics, physical love.”
“Root of All Evil” twangs into life with an echoing synth and a piano full of vibrant dynamism, touched by darkness before Rogue FX's evocative vocals transmit a mysterious melody with more than a little danger inside it. Tabla-like percussion creates a unique flavor while Rogue FX's breathily distinctive voice conjures up an atmosphere of continuous shadow and stress.
Creeping synth gives the music a furtive feeling while the active beat throbs powerfully. The cutting synth reverberates in haunting lines as the varied percussion interacts with the vibrating guitar, transmitting the enigmatic melody.
The way in which Rogue FX performs energizes me and gives me an impression of a character approaching a distinct moral dilemma. The groove supports a floating melodic line as bubbling tones create a wobbling impression while the main melody captures a haunted character before the song stops.
Our protagonist wants to "rip my morals down" due to the root of all evil and tear everything down to the ground. He feels “sick to the stomach" as a cold sweat washes "my conscience away" and all trust is betrayed. He goes on to say, "I think it's gonna be a long, long time living with the sins of my design” and also a very long night.
As the root of all evil addicts him to "the feeling of power and lies" and opens his eyes, our storyteller adds that "it's my obsession, like something took possession" and takes a toll to the depths of his soul. He tried to do what he thought was right as he took a poison pill and "it haunts all my nights." He speaks of being "the king of the hill sat on a hollow throne," leaving him chilled to the bone.
The narrator thinks, “it’s gonna be a real hard time, living with a ghost inside of my mind and I think the phone is never going to stop." The root of all evil “fuels my indiscretions” and has a soul deep hold on him. He concludes by saying, "I need to find a way out, gotta tear down these roots” and get back to who he was.
A mixture of sadness and fragility opens “The Place That I’m Going To” as it flickers and the underpinnings undulate before funky electric bass and splashing percussion join Rogue FX’s resigned vocals. A vaguely uneasy feeling melody, transmitted by a string-like synth, intertwines with Rogue FX’s sharp-edged vocals as a polished synth is guided by the unstoppable pulsation below it.
The melody twists with feelings of growing separation while the bass creates a strong pulse and ringing notes slice in angular motion. I enjoy the way in which the vocals transmit the choppy theme and the emotional tenor of the lyrics. Twinkling notes sneak on by with the dancing underpinnings. A subtle disco groove adds more dynamism before the song comes to an end.
Telling the song’s subject that “you’ll see my note when you awake, next to my favourite coffee, the one you hate,” our main character says that the other person might struggle to understand but “I promise you this isn’t underhand.” Life has given them “this wreck we know, broken pieces shattered below.” He adds, “To the place that I’m going to, I go without you.”
Mentioning "all those times we messed around, self-imposing misery to cover our smiles,” the narrator goes on to talk about drinking cheap champagne and capitulating again because the crash was "always inevitable." He says that the relationship is irrevocable because it's "off the rails like a freight train as we apportion blame." He continues, "the place that I'm going to, good grace that I'm showing you."
Our main character goes on to say that it doesn’t “take a genius intellect to know that life's too long.” One touch is all it takes to be gone so he’s making a run for it because “we’re reaching the last running away, yeah we’re done and I’m gone.”
“Corporate World” echoes with tremulous tones as Rogue FX's magnetic vocals are distorted and crackling, punctuated by synth pulses and brilliant notes that create a metallic cascade before the active percussion punches and brass shines with excitement. Hints of varied percussion move with fresh, sharp vocals and a laser-like guitar punctuated by brassy brilliance.
A trickling synth glows with misty phosphorescence while the guitar shifts and the popping drums are shaped by enfolding strings. The chorus gives off neon light while the vocals catch the mood of the music, transferring it to me. The choppy nature of the vocals emphasizes the tension in the lyrics while metallic sounds move with springing guitar before the song ends on complex percussion and twangy guitar.
As he works another 9 to 5 shift, our song’s character is trying to find the necessary burst of energy to "face some power plays and some politics." He's working overtime, up against the deadline as he adds that "it's just another fire to fight, it's an economy drive, there must be more to life."
The narrator tries to capture the emotions that existed "when life was good for the soul" before the world was turned upside down and everything went out of control. He goes on to say that we live in a corporate world where our "spirit's weakened and lines are blurred." He has to take the night train home, eat a TV dinner and wake up for an early conference call while "regretting last night's alcohol."
While trying to "swallow emotion, trying to swallow it all," our storyteller lives for the weekend as he feels like he’s "hitting another brick wall." He reiterates that we live in a corporate world in which we get rich "until the bubble bursts." It's all about market manipulation and keeping monopolies strong with "high wealth concentration." He wonders where it all went wrong.
In conclusion, the main character says, "takeover bids for breakfast, popping champagne corks, watching greed culture rise from London to New York. "
Gently vibrating notes and bells create mixed tension and a sense of hurt as “D.T.T.S.” brings in the cruising drum beat as Rogue FX's voice carries a melody touched with danger and haunting emotion.
Hollywood Brown’s guitar adds ragged strength while the actively interlocking beat is joined by synth washing in vibrant motion. The guitar echoes with hints of threat as both singers mingle their voices.
The guitar forms impressions of approaching danger and a wash of adrenaline. Hollow percussion moves with the guitar as it slides in velvet motion, catching me with dark sensuality while the saxophone-like sound balances it.
A locked-in bass line supports Hollywood Brown’s complex playing and gritty expression while the beat thumps. Rogue FX’s voice moves alone before the hovering guitar creates a ghostly texture. The atmosphere seethes with struggle and threat spiced with a hint of thrill before the music stops.
Describing the song's protagonist as "a runaway going places that gonna lead to trouble," the speaker adds that she's getting desperate but "she won't forget, on the streets there's trouble." She has to run and hide, avoid talking to strangers in the darkness, while coming alive in the night.
Day to day, the lead character goes on living for the city, making a little money at the arcade. Our storyteller points out that "those long cold nights will come again, her burning fire will never fade, living on the edge of danger days." To conclude, he says, "it's dangerous talk, the red light spells danger."
“Crash” has a dynamic beginning with laser-like sounds slashing and pumping beat and slipping snare drum supports Rogue FX's vocals, full of the question and the Enigma has the minor key melody trembles with eerie sensations. A sharply angled synth grooves with energy that's hard to ignore while the beat continues to burst.
Rogue FX has a coldness to his voice that suits the song’s message, engaging me with a compelling strength. The minor key theme wanders with a warning while the interlocking low end adds shape. Rogue FX catches the mood, almost chanted and full of mixed feelings, well the underlayer bounds as the groove moves and the main melody sighs with blinding radiance before the music concludes.
In the current environment, the narrator talks about people working jobs for little pay, barely scraping by on rent, and leaving many questions without any answers. He adds, "it's no age for innocents, the cards are marked, the dice are stacked," without any room at the top. He continues, "There's no peace for the wicked, just one day closer to death."
Speaking of the fact that as we crash we're "divided to conquer, divided to fall,” our storyteller says that we have to stop the crash as the ultra wealthy, with their "games of chance, all u-turns and self-serves," take a toll as ordinary people are stomped into the ground. We find ourselves the butt of a humorless joke "in crumbling streets, on the road to hell, so far from paradise."
Images of "the hungry eyes, the crying child, the influencer paid by the mile" define dreams that have been stolen in a merciless land. The oligarchs count their money and "might is right in this power age, democracy deemed too much red tape." The land, sea, and skies are riven by war and "chaos reigns in these shifting sands." Political parties use hatred and racism to rule with "a manifesto so bent out of shape."
With disgust and defiance, the narrator concludes, "I've just about had enough of this shit show, this car crash played over in slow-mo."
“Filofax (Greed Is Good Remix)” injects a burst of revitalization into the original. Radiant notes ring and intertwine like bright bells while a buoyant low end pulses with dynamic propulsion. Rogue FX’s voice feels attuned to the lyrics as shimmering synth textures bubble with blinding light.
Nasal-sounding tones bend with a faintly haunting quality while the underpinnings propel forward with conviction. Opalescent synth spills outward with a subtle darkness hidden in it as the bass thunders and soft percussion adds a metallic sheen. As the vocals unfold, Rogue FX captures the spirit of the lyrics, drawing me fully into the words.
The underlayer continues its relentless drive while blaring, trumpeting tones leap with exhilarating vitality. A spoken-word segment introduces another emotional layer as higher notes burst with brilliance. Chopped vocal fragments form an intriguing sonic pattern while the explosive foundations surge and the main melody burns vividly.
Conclusion
“Corporate World” is one of those recordings that manages to bring together meaningful themes with entertainment and musical skill. One can have one's ears tickled and enjoy the listening experience while considering the issues which Rogue FX brings up in his songs. I, for one, enjoy that kind of balance in the music to which I listen.
