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.
Jabberwocky
The Crüxshadows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe,
All mimsy were the borogoves
And the momeraths outgrabe.
Beware the Jabberwock, my son,
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jub-jub bird and shun
He took his vorpal sword in hand,
Long time the manx-ome foe he sought,
So rested he by the Tum Tum Tree
And stood a while in thought.
And as in uffish thought he stood
The Jabberwock with eyes of flame
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood
And burbled as it came!
One two one two, and through and through the vorpal blade went snicker snak!
He left it dead and with its head he went galumphing back.
And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms! My beamish boy!
Oh frabjous day! Cllooh, Calay! He chortled in his joy.
Twas brillig and the slithy Toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe,
All mimsy were the borogoves
And the momeraths outgrabe.
The Cruxshadows's song Jabberwocky is an interpretation of Lewis Carroll's poem of the same name, featured in his book "Through The Looking-Glass". It begins with a serene and almost surreal atmosphere, describing the setting as "brillig" which means twilight and "wabe" which means a grassy area. The "slithy toves" are slimy creatures while "borogoves" are birds, and "momeraths" are definitely unrecognizable, but their descriptions are meant to paint a picture of a fantastical world.
However, the tone suddenly shifts as the main character is warned of the Jabberwock, a monster with dangerous jaws and claws. The Jub-jub bird and the Baudersnatch are also to be avoided. The singer then prepares himself to battle the Jabberwock, taking his "vorpal sword in hand," before standing to think, possibly reflecting on the gravity of the task ahead.
Then, the Jabberwock appears, and despite its intimidating appearance, the singer fights it and ultimately slays the beast. The victory is celebrated with ecstatic cries by the singer and the poem ends with the same refrain as the beginning, a peaceful description of a surreal world.
Overall, The Cruxshadows's Jabberwocky is a musical adaptation of Carroll's poem, with emphasis on the journey towards defeating the monster and a sense of elation at the end. The lyrics are rich in imagery and the use of old-fashioned vocabulary adds to the sense of mysticism synonymous with Lewis Carroll's stories.
Line by Line Meaning
Twas Brillig and the slithy Toves
It was evening and the small creatures were writhing and moving in the grass
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe,
They twisted and turn around in the meadow
All mimsy were the borogoves
The borogoves were all happy and content
And the momeraths outgrabe.
The momeraths let out a loud cry
Beware the Jabberwock, my son,
Be very cautious of the Jabberwock, my child
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
The Jabberwock has dangerous teeth and claws
Beware the Jub-jub bird and shun
Stay away from the deadly Jub-jub bird
The frumious Baudersnatch
Avoid the terrifying Baudersnatch
He took his vorpal sword in hand,
He grabbed his sharp and strong sword
Long time the manx-ome foe he sought,
He searched for his fierce enemy for a long time
So rested he by the Tum Tum Tree
He relaxed by the Tum Tum Tree
And stood a while in thought.
He pondered and reflected for some time
And as in uffish thought he stood
As he stood lost in thought
The Jabberwock with eyes of flame
The Jabberwock with fiery eyes
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood
Came dancing and skipping through the forest
And burbled as it came!
Let out a gurgling sound as it approached
One two one two, and through and through the vorpal blade went snicker snak!
The blade sliced through the Jabberwock with a sharp sound
He left it dead and with its head he went galumphing back.
He killed the Jabberwock and triumphantly carried its head back with him
And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Have you really killed the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms! My beamish boy!
Come into my embrace! My enthusiastic boy!
Oh frabjous day! Cllooh, Calay! He chortled in his joy.
What a wonderful day! He exclaimed with delight
Twas brillig and the slithy Toves
It was evening and the small creatures were writhing and moving in the grass
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe,
They twisted and turn around in the meadow
All mimsy were the borogoves
The borogoves were all happy and content
And the momeraths outgrabe.
The momeraths let out a loud cry
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Malick Delorian
i really love Cruxshadows, and the way they put this poem is perfect. cant say how much i love the music and his voice ^^
Kitty Bucher
Jabberwocky is from Alice in Wonderland. It was written by Lewis Carroll. But Rogue's rendition of it is the bee's knees.
DoctorDoobie
I saw CXS in concert at Sanctuary in Salt Lake City years ago.... I'll never forget the end of the show when they started pulling random people on stage to dance to the final song of the night
Blake Boetto
I feel like the original Poets aren't getting their due credit for these cover versions, so it would be most helpful (for those who are unaware) if you would add the poets names to the video descriptions. This one is by Lewis Carrol, and it comes from Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. The poem (not song, sadly) Annabel Lee was written by Edgar Allen Poe, though i'm not sure of its original publication.
Troy Moon
i saw them just last night. it was AMAZING
Cryptid Artha
I lvoe it because I can totally envision what is happening in my head. CLose yoru eyes and let your imagination free.. awesomemess <3
kandykid2720
I pull out this poem every time I listen to this
DoctorWortspieler
I used to be indifferent to this poem.
Then I heard Rogue recite it...
Kitty Bucher
You are correct, but it's still considered a part of Alice in Wonderland.
Carmilla Jo
Which album is this from?