With the release of the seminal Telemetry of a Fallen Angel (existing in a few incarnations prior to Dancing Ferret Discs' version in 1997), The Crüxshadows enjoyed their first defining moment courtesy of the infinitely catchy dance floor anthem "Marilyn My Bitterness." With additional strong releases including The Mystery of the Whisper (1999), Until the Voices Fade (1999) and Paradox Addendum (2000) backed by lengthy tours, The Crüxshadows were able to build a legion of diversified fans consisting of everything from jarheads to gamers to anime & role playing enthusiasts.
While the lineup has indeed changed over the years, one constant has remained the same; Rogue, the vocalist, leader and mastermind of The Crüxshadows has directed his troupe towards an unconventional and lofty goal. "I want to change the world with music, I want people to find hope within themselves. I want them to know that anything is possible if you believe and follow through. I think that music has the power to inspire and move people to do amazing things" he muses. He is not alone in his belief. Their fans seem to believe it too. The bands motto "live love be believe" is everywhere, and many of their supporters will tell you that the lyrics have changed their lives in some way. This isn't exactly typical for a band most often identified as gothic or dark-wave. The Crüxshadows are not concerned. "Goth isn't about being a stereotype" the front-man complains, "its about being who you want to be... about not running from yourself or your emotions." The charismatic singer/songwriter/producer understands an audience and tends to deliver his dramatic croon right in their laps. Nothing they do is exactly new, but how they do it is completely unique. The lyrics are deep and meaningful, the stage show is dynamic and entertaining, and the music is hooky and inspired by pop. But pop it is not. It is a hybrid music that exists in a place just left of everyday, and just right of never-ever.
The band has maintained a surprising consistency despite the personnel turnovers that have plagued it in recent years. Jessica Lackey, a singer/dancer who married Rogue in 2007, and keyboardist Jen Jawidzik, who was once Rogue and Jessica's roommate, have stuck with it for the better part of the last decade. "When we have to find someone new, I feel like sometimes they don't understand all the hard work that was necessary for us to get to that point" Jessica states flatly, "It is not difficult to under-appreciate everything the band has accomplished, so people move on because they have not invested the same energy into the project." While the shows and the music continues to get better, that magically 'permanent' combination of personalities has continued to elude them. The band has had a difficult time keeping guitar players and dancers in particular, but has seen turnover in almost every position. These days Crüxshadows has Rogue backed by a mostly female band of new wave latex clad gypsies, and boasts an original mix of violins, dancers, guitars, and electronics. Tight and well-practiced, the seven performers interact on stage with clockwork like precision. The audience is captivated. Some of them scream. Some of them sing along. A few others stare at the stage dumbfounded.
Although The Crüxshadows maintain a strong fan base in their native United States, their most perceptible success seems to be focused in Europe. It is not uncommon for the band to share stages with the likes of Ladytron, Prodigy, The Cure, or even Bjork. The 2002 Tears EP topped the Deutsche Alternative Charts for months, a practice that has continued with all subsequent releases soaring to the DAC's Top 10. "I don't think we're actually more popular there (In Europe)" says Rogue, "It just seems like there is more access to our fans. What we do has more acceptance by the powers that be. In America it feels like all of our victories are covered up or are unacknowledged by the media." 2002 also saw the release of their fifth full-length album Wishfire; a fan favorite that featured the Euro hit "Tears" and a number of other dark dance mainstays. Similarly the follow-up album Ethernaut (released in 2003) brought the band what has become one of its most notable tracks, the European club anthem entitled "Winterborn (This Sacrifice)."
Remixes and special versions of songs have kept there fans satiated when no new traditional album lay on the horizon. In 2004 Fortress In Flames was released featuring a cover by the popular American artist Chad Michael Ward. There The Crüxshadows' material was remixed by peers like the Dutch legends Clan of Xymox and German industrial giants In Strict Confidence. Each year has seen some new disc from the band, and they come in a variety of formats. The year 2005 witnessed the release of their first DVD Shadowbox. The DVD is highlighted by a 2004 performance before a rabid crowd of 15,000 at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig Germany, where the ‘call and response' raw energy the band delves out is served right back by an adoring audience.
In 2006 the band would seem to breakaway from their underground moniker. The addictive single "Sophia" impressively debuted on the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales Charts in September at position #1, replacing Beyoncé in the top spot while landing #7 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales Chart. "We couldn't believe it, doors began to open. It was as if we couldn't be ignored anymore, after a decade and a half we seemed to be getting some respect. The local news in Florida even put us on the nightly news to get our take on the whole thing", the frontman recalls. The following year was pivotal for The Crüxshadows; in May the band successfully toured China performing at the Midi Open-Air Festival in Beijing, in the presence of many thousands of new fans. Later that year the band released the highly anticipated Dreamcypher album that contained yet another Billboard #1 Dance Single with the song "Birthday." This time the band climbed into the #2 spot on the Hot 100 Singles Sales Chart. With Dreamcypher, The Crüxshadows melded their fondness for 1980s Synth Pop/New Romantic sounds with modern Euro dance nuances into perfection. Dreamcypher joins the aforementioned shimmering "Sophia" and "Birthday" with the guitar fronted "Defender" and the majestic sounding "Eye of the Storm." The infectious disc would become The Crüxshadows' best selling album to date both in the United States and abroad.
The following year witnessed another single marching up the Billboard charts. "Immortal" continued the bands musical string of hits, despite the loss of violinist Rachel McDonnell. David Wood and JoHanna Moresco stepped in as an electric violining duo who not only safe-guarded the signature instrument of the band, but expanded it by way of rich layering and counterpoint melodies impossible in previous years. 2008 also saw the band's label Dancing Ferret Discs, withdraw from actively releasing new material. This left the band to deal with a large number of new and unforeseen issues, and delayed their plans to release a new full length album.
While The Crüxshadows spent most of 2009 touring in Europe, the band still managed to release yet another successful Billboard charting single in America. "Quicksilver" debuted just in time for their annual appearance at Atlanta's famed Dragon*Con Convention before an impressive capacity crowd of several thousand of their most loyal fans. "I think the new single, and really the most recent releases in general, are our most polished and well written work" says Rogue, "but there are still those in the scene, and in the business in general, that just think the whole thing is just dumb luck." The single was the first release from Wishfire Records, a new label founded by the band, and eventually reached #1 on The Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales Charts and #2 on The Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales Charts. Seemingly too pop for many critics and too underground for the industry, the band has apparently found the perfect balance for the people who matter the most to them; their fans.
The Crüxshadows have played by their own rules, and who is to say in a world of declining sales and illegal internet downloads that they haven't gotten the balance right. Time will tell. For now, The Crüxshadows continue to defy as well as define the odds, and their dark yet positive machine continues to roll.
Children in Black
The Crüxshadows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Broken by the weight of the tide
All shadows past
Grow longer
Till they smother light
and leave no trace
For evidence
And the final light has fallen silent
Leave this among
the dreams dreamt
Of love shared
Of gods challenged
In victory of the mortal chains
Snatched away
In the attempt
All the little children
All dressed in black
With their darkened eyes
And holy artifacts
Mamas watch your babies
Keep them safe and sound
Don't let them play in graveyards
Don't let them find this out
You may be sorry
You may be sorry Babe
purarities speaking
Are rising from their mouths
It must be the devil
Making these horrid sounds
Speak no evil, baby
Your daddy told you twice
Don't be so short of free
Lost only in the night
You may be sorry
You may be sorry
Powdered cheeks and perfumed skin
The midnight cold corrosion
my destined fingers wander
Sent by old... explosion
(comes heralding cold to beat)
Another hand to feed
like fish within the net
Like babies cold in sleep
Caught in sleep
(spoken)
destined... pebbles...
let me fall quickly into sin
in turn...rain on my warriors...
let thunder cry out lies
and decayed vagrancy
...on my thinning lips...
You may be sorry
You may be sorry
May be
sorry
The opening lyrics of "Children in Black" paint a picture of a decaying world that is weighed down by the tide. The past shadows grow longer and begin to suffocate any trace of light left. Despite this bleak picture, the singer sees an opportunity for resurrection to follow. The following lines speak of dreams and love shared, of gods challenged and mortal chains broken. The children in black are introduced in the chorus, warning mothers to keep their babies safe and away from graveyards. The children seem to have a connection to the otherworldly, with darkened eyes and holy artifacts. The second verse introduces the idea of purity and evil, as horrid sounds are attributed to the devil by those who do not understand. The final verse speaks of a cold corrosion, and fingers that are destined to wander. The imagery of fish caught in a net and babies cold in sleep hint at a sense of entrapment and helplessness.
Line by Line Meaning
The day is withering
The passing of time is drawing closer to an end
Broken by the weight of the tide
Overcome by the overwhelming force of current situations
All shadows past
Memories of the past no longer linger
Grow longer
The present seems endless
Till they smother light
Until they completely engulf any trace of hope or happiness
and leave no trace
Without a hint of anything to be reconciled
For evidence
To determine the truth
And the final light has fallen silent
The last lingering hope has died
to me resurrection follows (of these)
For me, the only hope is that something new shall arise
Leave this among
Add this to the collection
the dreams dreamt
All hopes and dreams from the past
Of love shared
The memories of love and companionship shared with others
Of gods challenged
The idea of preventing the rise of religious tyranny
In victory of the mortal chains
The success of casting off system's lock-down
Snatched away
Taken by force
In the attempt
During the endeavor
All the little children
The young and innocent souls
All dressed in black
Adorned with the color of despair
With their darkened eyes
Eyes clouded with tears and pain
And holy artifacts
Symbolism of sacredness and purity
Mamas watch your babies
Parents, be vigilant of your children
Keep them safe and sound
Protect them from potential harm
Don't let them play in graveyards
Prevent them from visiting places of mourning
Don't let them find this out
Keep them unaware of the reality of death
You may be sorry
You might regret it
purarities speaking
Puritanical ideas expressed
Are rising from their mouths
Exclaimed with fervor and intensity
It must be the devil
The common scapegoat for anything negative
Making these horrid sounds
Causing unbearable noises
Speak no evil, baby
Don't add to the negativity
Your daddy told you twice
Advice that has been repeated
Don't be so short of free
Don't curtail your individuality
Lost only in the night
Inner conflicts only appear in the darkness
Powdered cheeks and perfumed skin
The superficial appearance of beauty
The midnight cold corrosion
The bitter, heartless sting of rejection
my destined fingers wander
My predetermined future beckons me forward
Sent by old... explosion
Sent by previous events that reverberate through time
Another hand to feed
Another mouth to feed
like fish within the net
Trapped like fish in a net
Like babies cold in sleep
Like lifeless infants in their final sleep
Caught in sleep
Forever lost in a dreamless slumber
(spoken) destined... pebbles... let me fall quickly into sin in turn...rain on my warriors... let thunder cry out lies and decayed vagrancy ...on my thinning lips...
Mutterings of fatalism mixed with moments of despair
May be
It is possible that
sorry
Regretful about something
Contributed by Chloe D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.