Clan of Xymox - Spider on the Wall Album Review

There has always been much superstition surrounding what it means to find a spider in your home. Our modern assumption might be that it is bad luck. However, in ancient Egyptian culture the spider was a symbol of wealth and good fortune, hence their immortalizing them in gold. When it comes to a Spider on the Wall, specifically, there are some who view it as a neutral sign- until the spider moves up or down. If the spider crawls up, it is a good sign; if the spider crawls down...it is a bad one.

This ominous depiction of a spider seems to be exactly what Clan of Xymox had in mind for their latest, 2020 release. In the midst of a global pandemic, racial injustice and human rights violations running rampant, and literal dystopia looming in the distance...it is safe to say this album is the best thing that has happened so far this year. And I'm going to give you a track-by-track breakdown of just how great, and relevant it is. 

Starting off this doomsday-or-not record, is the synth-pulsing track, "She". Bound to be a modern classic, this darkwave jam sounds like 80's Xymox, reimagined with inspiration taken from some of their 21st century, goth rock and darkwave contemporaries. The first single to be released from the album, the b-side features a remix from She Past Away, which fully showcases just how dancey "She" can be. I find it to be just as fantastic as the original. As for the lyrics, they seem to be relaying the thoughts of a distraught girl, who feels "so alone", among other depressing things. The music video, showing a young, masked girl dancing alone to the track in an abandoned building, pretty well sums up the feelings songwriter Ronny Moorings is singing of. If you haven't already, do yourself a favor and check out "She", below. 

Next up is the second track, and (coincidentally) second single released from the album, "Lovers". With a spoken-word intro. in French, to the first English lyrics being "I've seen you naked", this is clearly an intimate, romantic song. But there is also a darker, self-loathing message to the song, lying beneath the surface. "I'm selfish, and insecure. Hard to handle, how can you endure?", the person asks their partner. Essentially, "how do you put up with me?" but more poetically sung. And supposedly, the answer is "love". Their love is unlike anyone else's, and makes them different. Something we've all probably thought of our own relationships, at one point or another. Watching the music video, gives the song an entirely new layer of meaning, however. It seems to be a tragic, "star-crossed lovers" type of story with an even darker twist. It tells this story in a very cinematic, beautiful way, and I highly recommend you check out the video upon first listening to it.

The third track, "Into the Unknown" tells the far less romantic story of what it is like to break up with someone you've gotten so used to being with, and how scary it can be to be single again. But, at the same time, he seems glad to be getting out of the relationship, stating the person "doesn't know me at all", amongst other reasons for leaving them, and that it's probably for the best. As depressing as a song about a breakup can be, the beat is a thumping, highly danceable one that I would definitely request at my next local goth night. 

"All I Ever Know" was the third single released from the album, and appears as the fourth track on it. It is essentially Ronny's tribute to the love of his life, Mojca Zugna. It is gorgeous, heartfelt, and real, and makes my chest ache with longing, for a lifetime of love such as theirs. The music video is home video footage shot by Ronny himself, of Mojca throught the years they've spent together until now. Towards the end of the video they can be seen sharing a kiss, in a clearly more recent clip. Needless to say I audibly "awww!"ed multiple times while watching it. Sound-wise, it very much reminds me of the Cure's "The Walk", from the synth to the cadence and pace which Ronny sings in. Could just be me, though there are certainly other areas on the record where I can hear more of their potential influences. 

Ronny Moorings with bandmate and wife, Mojca Zugna.

From there it moves back into a negative, despairing tone...and remains there for most of the rest of the album. "I Don't Like Myself" is a pretty straightforward self-loathing anthem, talking about the feelings most of us have when we get into that head-space of hating ourselves. "Each day is a struggle" pretty well sums up what that type of depression is like, and definitely hits home. Needless to say, Ronny and company aren't pulling any punches on this record.

The title track...oh my god those drums! Definitely reminds me of something off of the Cure's Pornography album, and the lyrics are just as depressing. I'd think Lol Tolhurst would be inclined to agree with me on that one. It definitely just makes me want to curl up into a ball on the floor of my room and self-isolate for a while (although that certainly hasn't been hard to do recently). The despair is palpable, and real, inciting utter hopelessness in whoever listens to it... I highly recommend you mentally prepare yourself, and then do so, below~

"When We Were Young" tells of the tragic tale every human knows, of what it's like to be young and think you have all the time in the world to do what you want...feeling immortal. And then you age, aches and pains and bills set in and the world seems less and less like yours. "We could walk on water, we could reach for the stars. Dance under the moonlight, we felt free and alive"... when we were young. But the realization of your own naivety sets in once it's already too late, and you're old and worn out by your wild life. It seems a cautionary tale to Ronny's younger listeners, and a calling of solidarity to his older ones.

Then we have yet another cautionary tale of what happens when society becomes too obsessed with their technology. "Black Mirror" is Ronny saying he's sick of everyone in the world being more involved with social media and posting their entire life, rather than living it. And holy cow does the chorus sound like the Sisters of Mercy's "Black Planet" almost exactly! Not a bad thing at all though, as they have definitely openly shared that the Sisters were an inspiration for them (and cover "Alice" on their Kindred Spirits album). It seems to me almost like a companion song to "When We Were Young", in that Ronny doesn't want the youth of today to waste their life staring at screens, instead of really living life. You can give it a listen for yourself below.

Rounding out the end of Spider on the Wall, we have "My New Lows", and "See You On The Other Side". The first of which is another self-hatred track, and about wondering just how low you can sink as a person. The second being a pretty straightforward acceptance of the inevitability of death, and how it comes for all of us, whether we like it or not. A pretty dismal way to end the record, it would seem. But Ronny says "do not stand at my grave and weep" and that he will "live on in your memory", which he seems quite comforted by. Dare I say, incredibly goth of him, to not be afraid of dying, because of the peace it brings, after the exhausting task that living can be. 

And thus ends Spider on the Wall. A record of its time, for sure. In parts dark and dismal, and in others heartwarming and loving. But always good! I think it is exactly what the world needs right now, whether they know it or not. I can say for sure this "spider" will be my companion in these depressing times, and help me through the rest of this hellscape that is 2020. You can listen to the newly released record on Spotify on YouTube now, or purchase yourself a copy through their Bandcamp. 

With Spider on the Wall, Xymox present us with a haunting question- will the spider continue crawling downward, towards more depressing events? Or can we hope for it to crawl up? Only the future knows.