Clan of Xymox | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1 July 1985 | |||
Recorded | Palladium Studios, Edinburgh | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 62:02 (with bonus tracks) | |||
Label | 4AD | |||
Producer | Clan of Xymox and Ivo Watts-Russell | |||
Clan of Xymox chronology | ||||
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Singles from Clan of Xymox | ||||
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Clan of Xymox is the debut studio album by Dutch dark wave band Clan of Xymox, released 1 July 1985 by 4AD. [1]
The album was produced by 4AD co-founder Ivo Watts-Russell and recorded at Palladium Studios in Edinburgh. The remixes included on the album ("A Day" and "Stranger") were mixed and produced by John Fryer at Blackwing Studios in London. Fryer had gained notability for working with seminal bands on the 4AD, Mute, Rough Trade and Beggars Banquet record labels, including Depeche Mode, Fad Gadget and Cocteau Twins.
The album drew comparisons to Joy Division and the Cure and created a buzz in clubs. [2] Reviewers in subsequent years have derided the album as dated and derivative, but accurately reflecting the emerging goth sound of the time, with "icy, throbbing keyboards; bummed-out vocals; chilly, robotic percussion; gloomy, ethereal guitars; and unusual, cryptic song titles". [3]
In 1985, Melody Maker described it as "a nervous and brilliant record" from "guitar-splayed firefields of 'Cry in the Wind' and 'Stumble and Fall', and thrill(!) to the system clearing, bass bloodied '7th Time'... The range and depth of this mysterious record do not exclude arrogant electro dance anthems like 'Stranger' and 'A Day'; nor do Xymox avoid sentimentality as on 'No Human Can Drown'". [4]
In the same year, Sounds called the album "a strange and wonderful debut from 4AD's first signing since Dead Can Dance. Particular favourite is 'A Day' which suggests so many places, colours feelings and despairs that it is totally awe inspiring". [5]
All tracks are written by Ronny Moorings, Pieter Nooten and Anka Wolbert
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "A Day" | 6:40 |
2. | "No Words" | 4:26 |
3. | "Stumble and Fall" | 5:05 |
4. | "Cry in the Wind" | 5:16 |
5. | "Stranger" | 7:41 |
6. | "Equal Ways" | 5:44 |
7. | "7th Time" | 4:38 |
8. | "No Human Can Drown" | 3:22 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
9. | "Muscoviet Musquito" | 4:03 |
10. | "Stranger (Remix)" | 5:21 |
11. | "A Day (Remix)" | 9:11 |
Total length: | 62:02 |
Clan of Xymox, also known as simply Xymox, are a Dutch rock band from Nijmegen formed in 1981 best known as pioneers of darkwave music. Clan of Xymox featured a trio of singers and songwriters – Ronny Moorings, Anka Wolbert, and Pieter Nooten – and gained success in the 1980s, releasing their first two albums on 4AD, before releasing their third and fourth albums on Wing Records and scoring a hit single in the United States. Their 1980s releases included synthpop/electronic dance music. The band is still active, continuing to tour and release records with Moorings as the sole remaining original songwriter and singer.
Come On Pilgrim is the debut EP by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released on September 28, 1987, on 4AD. Produced by Gary Smith, the release consists of eight tracks from a seventeen-song recording session that the band had recorded at Fort Apache Studios in March 1987.
Michael Brook is a Canadian guitarist, inventor, music producer, and film music composer. He plays in many genres, including rock, electronica, world music, minimalism and film scores. His collaborations with musicians around the world have made him "one of the most sought-after producers in the music industry." Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Brook lives in Los Angeles. He is the creator of the Infinite Guitar.
Filigree & Shadow is the second album released by 4AD collective This Mortal Coil, an umbrella title for a loose grouping of guest musicians and vocalists brought together by label boss Ivo Watts-Russell. The supergroup consists primarily of artists attached to the 4AD label, of which Watts-Russell was the co-founder and the owner and director. The album was released in September 1986, and entered the UK Independent Music chart on 11 October 1986 and peaked at #2, spending 16 weeks on the chart in total.
Blood is the third and final album released by 4AD collective This Mortal Coil, an umbrella title for a loose grouping of guest musicians and vocalists brought together by label co-founder Ivo Watts-Russell. The supergroup consists primarily of artists attached to the 4AD label, of which Watts-Russell was boss and president at the time. The double album was released in April 1991, and was the second release on 4AD to utilize the double album-identifier "DAD" prefix in its catalog number.
John Fryer is an English record producer. Best known for his production work, he has also performed as a musician, as one of the two constant members of This Mortal Coil, providing keyboards, strings and synthesizer sequencing for the band, and its offshoot, The Hope Blister.
Medusa is the second studio album by Dutch dark wave band Clan of Xymox. It was released on 1 November 1986 by 4AD. Founding member Pieter Nooten re-recorded the songs "After the Call" and "Theme I" on Sleeps with the Fishes, his 1987 collaborative album with Michael Brook, following a brief split from the band.
Happiness is the second album by Lisa Germano. Released by Capitol Records in 1993, it was re-released by 4AD Records the following year. A music video was produced for the single "You Make Me Want to Wear Dresses."
Home Is in Your Head is the second studio album by His Name Is Alive, originally released via 4AD in the UK on September 9, 1991, and on Rykodisc in the United States in 1992.
Ai no Wakusei is the only solo album released by Japanese singer Atsushi Sakurai, lead vocalist of the rock band Buck-Tick. It was released by Victor Entertainment on June 23, 2004. In addition to providing lead vocals, Sakurai wrote the lyrics to every song, while the music was composed and performed by many different collaborators. Contributors include, Wayne Hussey, Robin Guthrie, Yasuyuki Okamura, and Theatre Brook frontman Taiji Sato. Three singles were released to promote the album. Ai no Wakusei reached number 15 on the Oricon Albums Chart, and charted for four weeks.
Tocsin is the second studio album by German post-punk band Xmal Deutschland. It was released in June 1984 on 4AD.
Breathless are an English dream pop band formed in 1983 by Dominic Appleton, Gary Mundy (guitar), Ari Neufeld (bass) and Tristram Latimer Sayer (drums). Across nearly four decades, Breathless have released eight studio albums, one compilation album and 14 singles and EPs, all on their own label, Tenor Vossa Records.
Anka Wolbert is a Dutch musician, singer, songwriter, and web developer, best known for her work with Clan of Xymox.
Pieter Nooten is a Dutch musician and composer best known for his work with Clan of Xymox.
Twist of Shadows is Xymox's third full-length album, released in 1989 on Wing Records (PolyGram) and produced by Peter Walsh.
Phoenix is the fourth studio album by Dutch dark wave band Xymox, released in 1991 by Wing Records/PolyGram. It was produced by Peter Walsh. Guitarist Michael Brook guested on the tracks "The Shore Down Under" and "Mark the Days".
Frank Weyzig is a Dutch producer, composer and band member known for his contribution to the original Clan of Xymox and his work for the indie new wave band, Born for Bliss. More recently, Weyzig has been involved with Vaselyne, White Rose Transmission and Stargazing Project. In January 2011, he founded Turmoil Music, a new music platform for independent artists.
Ronny Moorings is the stage name of Ronald Moerings, a Dutch musician best known for his work with darkwave band Clan of Xymox. Moorings has been the band's principal singer/songwriter since the early 1990s.
Scar is the debut mini album by English rock band Lush. It was released on 9 October 1989 on 4AD. Originally intended to be a three-track single release, Scar was produced by John Fryer and the band themselves and recorded at London's Blackwing Studios in 1989.
Sleeps with the Fishes is the lone collaborative album from Clan of Xymox founding member Pieter Nooten and Canadian guitarist/producer Michael Brook, released by 4AD on 12 October 1987. Intended as Nooten's debut solo album after a brief split from Clan of Xymox, the record turned into a collaboration with Brook after a suggestion from 4AD label founder and boss Ivo Watts-Russell. Though not a huge commercial success, Sleeps with the Fishes was described by AllMusic as "essential listening for fans of 4AD, ambient music, minimalism, experimental electronic music, and morose themes alike... an overlooked masterpiece."