The Fixx were carried to the United States as part of the New Wave of British music in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but the group wasn't really part of that era. They somehow formed a sound all their own, a metal-based feel that was difficult to understand but easy to hear.
Maybe because of their specific niche, they were never going to have sustained success. Maybe the band didn't really care either. They made the music they liked and their fans loved, and it stayed that way for several albums.
The band continued to make albums about every 10 years after the 1990s, and they remained strong, but their best songs were their earliest. No one sounded like them, and because of that, they remain a must-listen.
Four songs that you should keep listening to from the Fixx
"Stand or Fall" - Shuttered Room (1982)
A song that was steeped in Cold War friction but still sounds vibrant today. This is perhaps due to the band's tinny sonic quality that was unusual for its time and still seems unique today. Maybe many bands simply didn't want to follow in the same direction, or maybe the Fixx just found their niche early, and it could be replicated by anyone other than them.
"I Live" - Shuttered Room (1982)
With a tongue-in-cheek and cleverly written chorus, this track is catchy, and it is brilliantly conceived. The narrator says he lives, but that is "all he can say," and this eschews the gloom of the previous song. Still, the Fixx had a way of forming English irony into a delicious four minutes.
"One Thing Leads to Another" - Reach the Beach (1983)
The Fixx was never afraid to create songs about politics, even if that inherently forced them to be stuck in their own time, or, in the case of this single, almost too general to study in detail. What makes the track work is the speed and vocals by Cy Curnin. There are few choruses as catchy as this tune, and no matter if you heard it 40 years ago or currently, you'll find yourself singing along.
"Secret Separation" - Walkabout (1986)
The subject of this track is quite different from your usual alt-rock/poppy fare. The lyrics are about meeting the same person over different lifetimes but then almost always being torn apart. The sadness is echoed in the underlying rhythm, and the bittersweetness makes you want to play this track in heavy rotation for the foreseeable future.
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