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Germany's The Fair Sex were a well-respected name in the 90s German wave scene and, inspired by their recent comeback, Endless Records have put out this first 'best of' compilation (a second volume covering the band's earlier years is on the cards) so that those who missed out on their (now deleted) back catalogue can hear what they've missed.
The 15 tracks here are a good representation of the band's output and prove two things about them. Firstly, that they are talented songwriters which makes their success well-deserved and secondly, that in all the years this compilation covers, there was very little change or development in the band's style. Comparing the brand new track "The Ever Unreached Aim" to practically any of the other tracks on here it's impossible to hear any difference. This would affect some bands' longevity but TFS get away with it due to such inspiring electro/rock songs such as "Not Now. Not Here" and the more electro-inspired "Alaska".
Wisely, their best track "Cyberbite" is included, as is the politically aware "Soulspirit: Antifacism", a musically bombastic attack on all right wingers where chanting crowds and recorded ranting help get the message across. A quite different kind of crowd can be heard on "Eat Me", the sort of crowd that graced so many rave tracks in the early 90s and the track follows this with synths that will make you want to put your smiley badges on again! The Middle Eastern touches of "Cold Contempt" and the Mission-like guitars of "Shelter" help their respective tracks to stand out to a greater extent.
As the album nears it's end the tone becomes more downbeat with the short and bittersweet "Woe" and the slower "In The Desert" ending the album in a nicely reflective mood.
To sum up, the album is pretty excellent all the way through although I can't help feeling that it hardly inspires one to seek out their back catalogue (even if you could find it!).
RATING: 7
Artist Link: http://www.endless-records.de
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