My first CD
My first experience with Xymox was actually their 1989 album 'Twist of Shadows' which I purchased on cassette. After being quite impressed with the entire album I bought 'Clan of Xymox' on compact disc which is, in my opinion, their best and most original work to date. And as mentioned by another fan, the almost 'other-worldly' vocals of Mr. Moorings are what really makes the group stand out. Seems like most people either love or hate this album. For me, it's definitely a classic, and every bit as enjoyable now as the day I first listened.
how did this one get lost in the mix?
So it wasn't 'radio friendly', per se. Not due to lack of memorable melodies or catchy, gloomy dance tracks. Clan of Xymox always got ragged by critics because they didn't have an original sound. Maybe that was true--they wore their influences on their sleeve--Ronny Moorings used to tout New Order as the greatest band around and made no bones about wanting to be like them. He was just a bit darker than Sumner and Co. But as the years have passed and all the other bands that made music like this have faded away, people still want these early Clan of Xymox records like crazy. They want them because they're so damn good. Sure, it's a bit o' Cure, a bit o' New Order, with a 4AD glaze, but it goes down so easy. No music evokes wintry atmospheres and that special brand of romanticism that the 80's synth pop bands had quite like Clan of Xymox. Sure, tons of people made music like this in the early and mid '80's, but nobody put these elements together with such grace as Ronny Moorings. Ronny's a bit like Trent Reznor or Billy Corgan--the music is almost always written and performed by him 100%(save for the few Pieter Nooten tracks scattered about). His indulgences are his strength and his voice is, in my opinion, THE definitive goth voice. Oh, I know Pete Murphy, Andrew Eldritch, etc., etc. I love them, too and they're great vocalists. But Ronny has a way with those lower registers and with those impassioned high notes like nobody else plus, a pretty cool way of doubling the low register with the high register to maintain the dark croon and the desperate howl all at the same time. The Clan's instrumentation made them great too. Electronic dance beats, synths, acoustic guitar, and synth strings were almost always the formula, not to mention some cool use of early sampling (further explored on 'Medusa'). With the ever masterful John Fryer at the production helm, this record is a sure bet to please anyone with a taste for the melancholy mirrorball from the time when Joy Division and Kraftwerk were THE patron saints of European music. Eat this one up!
Not-so-humble beginning
Fantastic, moody, beautiful, and capturing a earnest, frightned despair in a way few bands or albums have. Buy this CD if you like goth or synth post-punk.
As of late, the band has morphed into a goth-rock/Sisters knock-off, but check out their first three releases to experience the real deal.
Dated. FAR from their best.
It's old, dated and not very good at all. I love Xymox and their later albums are FAR better than this. It's all pompous, self agonising nonsense with a pretty low production level. If you find it cheap as a 2nd hand give it a go if you must. NOT worth buying new. Trust me, don't be tempted! Notes From The Underground, Xymox Live and Creatures blow this old junk into the abyss. This can be viewed as a demo disc but that's about it. FAR too much boring sampling and clanking noise.
Like standing on Mount Olympus
This was their debut album and it is unbelieveable debut album at that . Most of these songs sound like they've been shining down from the Greek gods for a long time . I guarantee you that you get value for money when you listen to the start of A day and up until the very last track it doesn't hold up . Mesmerizing album from an equally mesmerizing band
Digitally remastered reissue of the Dutch alternative act's 1985 4AD debut with three bonus tracks not on the original vinyl LP: 'A Day' (Remix) & 'Stranger' (Remix) and 'Muscoviet Musquito' from the 'Lonely Is An Eyesore' compilation. 11 tracks total, all digitally remastered. 1999 release.
