So I got a direct message from Eric Anderson, who had gotten a direct message from Dan Henry about this new-old album from a band called The Fix. How cool is it that all these years later, those Gun Fury guys are still influencing the music I listen to? The Fix was a band from Oxfordshire fronted by Tim Field, formed in 1994. Pop Affliction Records has finally given the band's album Best Days of Your Life a proper release, and the thing is absolutely fantastic. Field describes the band's sound as "BritPop," but this is not quite the same sort of Brit-pop that was becoming all the rage right around the time this album was recorded. The Fix's sound was more traditionally British guitar pop in a very elegant sort of way. You can hear the influence of The Kinks and The Jam along with some of the jangly indie pop that would have been quite contemporary at the time. Most importantly, the songwriting is superb. These are thoughtful, beautifully-crafted songs with hooks that cannot be denied. This an album full of interesting stories and deep reflections on life. The moment you hear "Lottery," you'll be stunned that a song this brilliant has been sitting in the vault for three decades. If you enjoy power pop and late '80s/early '90s indie rock that wears its Britishness on its sleeve, you're going to go nuts for Best Days of Your Life. The fact that this album includes an adaptation of a John Betjeman poem and a cover of a song by The Action tells you quite a lot about The Fix. Kudos to Pop Affliction for unearthing this gem! Right now, the album is available on cassette tape, but something tells me a vinyl release will happen sooner or later.
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