Xymox - Medusa (13 tracks) +Album Reviews

A Mysterious journey

A. Griffiths | London | 05/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Clan of Xymox never made the big time in the UK Goth scene, but this is a superb album, full of haunting atmosphere and gloom, but without the usual cliched references to graveyards and blood that can make Goth pop sound so adolescent. As a result, the album has not dated at all, the songs are beautifully produced, with dark and forbidding crescendos in the fast numbers, and elegaic melancholy in the slow tracks. The production is refreshingly danceable, especially the title track, without the distortion and noisy guitars favoured by other bands of this type. The inclusion of the last 4AD produced ep songs( A Million Things and Blind Hearts) as bonus tracks make this an excellent purchase, as these versions are far superior to the watered down remixes that appear on "Twist Of Shadows""

Surprise

SystemStructure | town, WA United States | 10/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a surprise. I had heard about this group being some kind of "old school goth band." I never really took them seriously. Then, through my friend's Ipod I gave "Theme One" a listen and it was then that I realized this band was the origin of that genre known as "Darkwave." Darkwave is goth music but with less of a rock angle and more emphasis placed upon melody or ambience. The opening phrases of this album are a mind blowing mix of Greek flute melodies intertwined with ambient phrases. The first five songs here are masterworks of the darkwave genre.

Thanks to that Ipod, a whole new area of musical history has been opened to me. I would never have bought this album on its own, with a song name like "Back Door" on it I would've never even given it a chance. I think that this band, like Joy Division, just wanted to offend people with that song title's weird context. Buy this CD for the songs "Theme One" "Louise" and "Medusa." Dark Ambience.

If you like this, please look into:

Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works Volume 2

Desert Solitaire

Steve Roach

Lustmord

This Mortal Coil"

A masterpiece

filterite | Dublin, Ireland | 01/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a lovely album for which words can not be expressed deeply enough from the start of Theme 1 to Back Door the album just cries genius !From the sound of the album it feels like a break up in a relationship and the feelings of sorrow . There's a feeling of no ending in this album . Perhaps this can be due to the fact that there is no end to the pain that people suffer and this album expresses it beautifullyIf you are thinking of buying it I would recommend it instantly . And may you lose yourself in it's ethereal beauty"

Great album, but not my fave Xymox album

Pessimystica | Austin, TX | 02/11/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"From the research I've done on Xymox fans' favorite album, this one seems to dominate along with Twist of Shadows, which are pretty different. This one is more melancholic, like other reviewers have pointed out. It's not as dancey as Twist of Shadows, & really the only danceable track is the last one, "Scum". I think I also remember reading somewhere that that song was added later & wasn't originally on the album (but I could be wrong). The best song by far here is "Louise", which dangerously grew on me. I didn't really know what to think about it at first, but then 1 day I was upset over several things & when he started singing "louise...louuuuise....louiiiiiise...", I had to fight back tears going to my eyes, & had to give up & let it go. Heh, sappy I know, but I don't remember any other songs that have ever done that before. The aching sorrowful mood of the song might seem overdone to some people, but it worked for me, so that's all that matters. The 1st theme starts off the overall tone of the album very well, esp. when the recorder comes in. Some other favorite tracks of mine are "Medusa", "Agonised by Love" & "Masquerade". "Michelle" & "Blind Hearts" seem to be the more upbeat tracks on here. I also seem to have to be in a certain mood to hear this album, compared to like Twist of Shadows & the self-titled, where it doesn't matter what mood I'm in. Overall, it's 1 their moodiest albums , verses dark like 'Creatures' or more on the synthpop pop side like 'Twist of Shadows'. If you're just getting into Xymox, I would suggest starting with 'Twist of Shadows' & decide from there which route you wanna go... but a must-have for all Xymox fans."

Classic

Fishbone | Tampa, Fl | 10/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For their second 4 AD album, Dutch band Clan of Xymox have taken the most effective and attractive elements

of their mosaic of sound (as witnessed at intervals on their debut long player) and produced a work which, at times, achieves the beauty and ambience of label mates like The Cocteau Twins or DCD.The playing here glistens and shimmers, especially on the opener 'Theme 1'. 'Michelle' on side one, is a good example of the new approach, powerful and melodic, harnessing the aggression and momentum that would once have pulled the song into a brutal climax.

Medusa is a vibrant soundscape that really saw Clan of Xymox reaching a larger and more appreciative audience.

Medusa is, quite simply, beautiful listening and of course a classic in many books and so it is in mine.

Louise is just a track I will never ever get tired of."

Search - Xymox :: Medusa

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