Customer Reviews

Medusa

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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"

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 beautifully

If you are thinking of buying it I would recommend it instantly . And may you lose yourself in it's ethereal beauty

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.

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

I bought this album on vinyl the day it came out in the fall of 1986 (along with PURITY by THE ESSENCE!) and from the moment I put it on, I was enchanted. I had their first album and NO HUMAN CAN DROWN was blasting through my cassette walkman every day but this album supassed everything else I had heard from any other band and still does! The 84-89 lineup of Xymox were very talented individuals. Ronny Moorings(the only origianl member left today and the singer/ guitarist), Pieter Nooten-keys, and Anke Wolbert-bass blended big strings, eerie choir, synths, guitar and drum machine in a way that cannot be matched. BTW, if you like the ambient side of Xymox, PLEASE check out the Pieter Nooten/Michael Brook album SLEEPS WITH THE FISHES. There are a few Xymox songs on it and it is very close in mood to Medusa, almost like an instrumental expansion and an excellent soundscape fore a rainy or dark and cold day. Back to Medusa.

1. Theme I-Very good instrumental opening wchich sets the mood for the rest of the album

2. Medusa-Oh man! Very cool dreamy bridge in the middle, very cool drum programming

3. Michelle-A bit on the dancy side and maybe a little psychedelic influence. Nice acousitc rhythn.

4. Theme II-Animal sounds, a woman yelling and orchestral strings?? Instrumental.

5. Louise-Fans agree, one of the best Xymox songs ever. Beautiful string intro, use of choir and acoustic guitar. Also, a very cool line "My heart use to beat, now it only weeps." Ahh Ronny...

6. Lorretine-The third and last instrumental. Very ambient. A little closer to some of Ronny's newer Xymox instrumentals.

7. Agonised by Love-The title says it all. Very grey with another very cool bridge with the drum machine.

8. Masquerade-Anke sings on this one. (My second fave! on Medusa) This song primarily consists of vocals, strings, drum machine and bass. The bridge and ending have some very beautiful synth worked into it.

9. After the Call-A Piter Nooten tune all the way plus he sings on it. Almost kind of New Agey with big strings and choir and timpany and snare. The SLEEPS WITH THE FISHES version is almost as cool

10. Back Door-A darwave classic. When I think of classic Xymox sound with all three members, this is one of the top ones. Cool guitar, excellent bass and amazing strings and choir again!! Very cool ending to an amazing timeless album

There were no singles for Medusa and for a teenage darksider, I needed more. Well, finally in 87, Medusa re-recorded Muccoviet Musquito which appeared on the Lonely Is An Eyesore. very much in the same mood as Medusa. Then in 88, they released the Blind Hearts 12" which is included on the newer versions of Medusa.

11. Blind Hearts [*]-I was very dissapointed with the female backup vocals on Blind Hearts but it's stilla cool tune.

12. Million Things [*]- I love A Million things and this version has a long cool string intro that isn't on the TWIST OF SHADOWS release. This song is probably the bridge between the two albums soundwise..

13. Scum [*]- Another reviewer said it was dancy. I guess it is. Not quite my sound of music.

There really is not another album like this out there. Twist of Shadows is a great album but Medusa jsut has 'that' sound. It's not only the mood but the musicianship is far above average. I have not heard anyone play bass like Anke, something to listen for and areal treat. If you like Medusa, please check out what The Cocteau Twins, X-Mal Deutschland, Dead Can Dance, what other 4AD labelmates were doing around that time, Tess Records (my band AUTUMN was on Tess for a short period with Xymox!) and Project Records.

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.

this is clan of xymox's best effort. always has been, always will be. twist of shadow got all the hype but fell short to capturing the athmosphere of this album. it flows, it is complete and it stands alone very well. louise is a very nice track that pops into my head every now and then years later. i am not a huge fan of gothic music and even though this album is "gothic", it fits nicely in just about any intelligent collection of music. take a chance and grab it. i think you'll agree.

It is arguably one of the finest record (yes, they were called that back then) to come out of the eighties. The landscapes that they paint their songs in is just SO lush and to think they did this back in the 80's! The mood and lyrics worked hand in hand to swallow you entirely in their melancholy-ness. the rolling synths gently rolls you into the song and never lets you out till the ending cresendo, each song's definately a journey, great structures... But alas, all things must come to an end, and this style of GOTH are sadly not "popular" anymore. Nowadays, when you say GOTH, you get Sisters of Mercy-esque type of sounds that's somewhat angry. and that's where this band has gone too as well, i guess that's called natural progression. But i digress, if you must pick up just 1 CLAN of XYMOX CD. it's this one. 2nd choice would be their 1st CD, then Twist of shadows. you can tell the drop off in musicianship(sp?) from this cd to Twist of shadows..how sad, i read somewhere they lost 2 of the members who's like mini-gods on syths then.
well good luck to COX and here's hoping they continue to put out music..

Clan of Xymox's Medusa is a classic...Richly textured sounds layered into incredibly beautiful melodies..it's hard to describe..each songs takes you into a different dreamworld. Medusa was probably the bravest album to come out of the 4AD era back in the eightees..becuase their is nothing 'eightees' about it...it is timeless. Like their debut self-titled album, Xymox continued to break new ground and redefine "Goth" or 'Darkwave'..Medusa is both sad and euphoric at once..with incredible use of strings and samples that will send you dreaming. Albums that followed were good..Twist of Shadows was a nice blend of more accesable pop while maintaining beauty and class. Unfortunaly, without Anke Wolbert and Peiter Nooten, much has been lost..and recent albums sound (for the most part) so bland and typical of 'goth' it's painful to listen to. I'm waiting for the X-band members Peiter (a keyboard genious) and Anke to produce. Medusa will remain my most cherished album of all time.

For readers who did not grow up in the 80's but like this genre of music, this is the prototype ... or at least should have been , for darkwave/goth of the 80's and beyond. No other band has been able to match the songcrafting of this cd and the prior release. This was their greatest period (from 1985-1987). I was lucky to see them live once and the music still held up live. "Back Door" and "Louise" are the standouts, with the former song being almost orchestral in its layers of sound and arrangement. Dont let the eyeliner and pancake makeup fool you, this is true art.