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ARTIST
TITLE
Skyscraper
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
EDGE 033CD EDGE 033CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
7/11/2025

The incredible story that began with "The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet" (TMMS) now enters an exciting new chapter: Skyscraper, the debut album by FEX. Skyscraper features ten original tracks recorded in the early to mid-1980s -- carefully re-transferred, remastered, and brought back to life. The album cover, designed by Darius S., brings the story full circle. Darius is the very person who preserved the now-iconic track "Subways of Your Mind" by recording it from NDR radio in the mid-'80s. Without him, FEX may never have been discovered. FEX's debut opens with its namesake, "Skyscraper" -- a brooding, previously unreleased track the band once described as part of their "psychedelic phase." With haunting synth-helicopter textures and deep guitar riffs, it immediately sets the tone and raises tension. The release flows naturally into the energetic and fully remastered studio version of "Subways of Your Mind." This version of the TMMS -- re-discovered on the "yellow label tape" by Reddit user Marijn -- was long believed to be from a smaller home studio, but was actually recorded in November 1984 at Hawkeye Studios in Ganderkesee, near Hamburg. "Goldrush," first teased in raw form on FEX's YouTube channel, bends toward mechanical rhythm and shimmering synths, a snapshot of the band's experiments with programmed drum machine sound. Rückwardt's lyrics point to greed and criticizes materialism, and while the music leans toward pop sensibilities, it carries a raw, fractured edge. "Heart in Danger" and "I've Got My Eyes On You" offer contrasting experiences -- one rooted in classic post-punk tension, the other floating in melodic synth layers. From a rehearsal tape comes "Dirty Slapstick," its urgency intact. Missing keyboard parts were later reconstructed by Michael Hädrich using his original DX7 synthesizer -- recovering lost elements without rewriting the past. Also included are the songs "Talking Hands," "Jenny," and "Strange Feeling," the latter being a slower blues-tinged cut, revealing yet another facet of the band's reach and Rückwardt's songwriting diversity. The album closes where the legend began -- with the original radio recording of "Subways of Your Mind" from Darius' cassette. Digitally transferred using a high-end Revox machine and carefully remastered, it now has its long-deserved official release. The cover features a photo of the Eichenberg Bunker in Kiel -- one of FEX's original rehearsal spaces and a symbolic monument to their sonic legacy.