Needle Time

  Clan Of Xymox - Clan Of Xymox [CAD 503 UK 1985 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I last ripped & posted this album back in 2021, however I felt I had ripped it too loud and didn't really do the record justice. Here is a brand new 176.4kHz rip which really allows the listener t crank up as loud as they like. If alternative/indie music was your thing during the luminescent 4AD period then you would likely know this album. Dutch bands weren't the flavour of the moment between 1983 & 1985, John Peel helped greatly with a session for Clan Of Xymox.  Then Ivo did his very best with this young band from Nijmegen, he helped them update their sound & gave them a deal then co-produced their first proper album for the label, with assistance from John Fryer. Taking the basics of gloomy gothica & distorted guitars with the addition of electronics and pounding beats gave us the mighty A Day / Stranger double A-side single. The inclusion of simple hooks & lush synth-strings took t...

  Clan Of Xymox - Limbo [TRI 746 LP DEU 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Essentially just Ronny Moorings these days, the latest Clan Of Xymox album, Limbo , was originally released on digital formats last year. German label Trisol have now released it as a double album set on a limited edition of only 500 on vinyl.  In my opinion, this is their best since Twist Of Shadows and finally allows us to forgive Moorings for those dodgy nineties releases which followed Twist in 1989. Whilst the sixty-one year old Dutchman has struggled to abandon the eyeliner and other visual trappings of eighties gothica, most fans of the original line-up should find these ten dark synthpop compositions to be an enjoyable listen. Most certainly a lock down album, Limbo was recorded at Mooring's home studio in Leipzig, Germany and is laden with demonic yet surprisingly catchy tunes, no more so than the opening Brave New World and poppy The Great Reset . Pressed on nasty black & blue vinyl, the surfa...

  Xymox - Twist Of Shadows [839 233-1 UK 1989 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] When Pieter Nooten left Clan Of Xymox, these moody Dutch synth-goths left 4AD, reverted to just Xymox, and signed a deal for their own Wing Records label with Polydor, making Twist Of Shadows their major label debut. I've been keen to revisit this album and this time go for a high resolution rip .....I suggest it sounds bloody great! Essentially dark-edged synthpop, Twist Of Shadows is complimented by string arrangements by Tony Visconti and a lush production by Peter Walsh. Their final 4AD single, Blind Hearts gets a lighter re-working - considering this was the late eighties when modern music was going through seismic changes, one of the very best bands to come out of the low countries was to find success across the Atlantic and continue to grow their fan base across Europe.  I don't think there is a duff track on this record - our Dutch friends clearly have a better ear for a good tune than many of...

  Clan Of Xymox - Medusa [CAD 613 UK 1986 24-Bit FLAC] I find it remarkable that the 'new' owners of 4AD Records have failed to repress many of the great albums from the label's best period. Whilst Clan Of Xymox may not have benefitted from the same size of following as The Cocteau Twins, there has been significant interest in the original line-up's darker wave releases, especially in Europe. Consequently, both this album and their more upbeat debut still sit comfortably among the label's more important releases, and when you remember they secured a major deal with Polydor following their stint on the iconic British label. The problem with Clan Of Xymox is that they wanted to be a 4AD band and deliberately shaped their sound to be what they thought a 4AD band should sound like. The dark electro sound they found for their debut was spot on however then they thought best to sound like an amalgamation of all the other artists on the label, tempering their energy acco...

  Clan Of Xymox - Clan Of Xymox [CAD 503 UK 1985] If alternative/indie music was your thing during the luminescent 4AD period then you would likely know this album. Dutch bands weren't the flavour of the moment between 1983 & 1985, John Peel helped greatly (see my last post).  Then Ivo did his very best with this young band from Nijmegen, he helped them update their sound & gave them a deal then co-produced their first proper album for the label.  Taking the basics of gloomy gothica & distorted guitars and the addition of electronics and pounding beats gave us the mighty A Day / Stranger double A-side single. The inclusion of simple hooks & lush synth-strings took things to the next level. The almost mandatory line-up changes and band fractures found a more electronic/techno Xymox on a major label, but this time with 4AD was without any doubt their best period. Sadly the controlling factors behind the modern 4AD have not felt inspired enough to reis...

  Clan Of Xymox - Peel Sessions [DE-280 USA 2021 24-Bit FLAC] I proposed this Dark Entries reissue as a potential crowd-funded post a while back. It has taken me a while to source a copy, so with my thanks to those who contributed, here is that fine compilation of the first two John Peel Sessions from Clan Of Xymox. Session one was produced by Dale Griffin and first aired back in June 1985, the second had Mark Radcliffe at the mixing desk and was recorded & aired in November 1985. These tracks formed the basis of the bands first two albums for 4AD and were originally complied for a BBC/Strange Fruit compact disc in 2001. This is the first time, I believe they have been released on vinyl.  I had forgotten how good After The Call genuinely is. Enjoy. A1 Stranger A2 Muscoviet Mosquito A3 Seventh Time B1 After The Call B2 Agonised By Love B3 Mesmerised

  Clan Of Xymox - A Day b/w Stranger [BAD 504 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] Any band calling themselves Clan Of Xymox would have no chance of ever being taken seriously, no matter how serious they took themselves. Here is a seriously good, brand new rip of their excellent debut single. They came out of Benelux - out of a John Peel radio session came two great albums on 4AD and this fantastic double A-side 12", let's call it the ' Goth Blue Monday '. They are still around today in one format or another but have lost their direction & importance after many splits & fractures (I think they are no longer a clan), and now just record disposable euro techno. The first two albums on 4AD are well worth hunting down, although I will suggest that reissues are long overdue. Add this to your wantlist , it looks like a must have, unless of course you feel like sending me a donation and I will purchase & rip a copy ;-) A1 A Day AA Stranger