XMAL DEUTSCHLAND - GIFT: THE 4AD YEARS (2CD)

"The extraordinary impact Xmal Deutschland had upon British audiences in the early Eighties is difficult to convey forty years on. A spell was cast by the staccato rhythms, unmediated channels and mysterious (to us) language of their music, and by the vision and strength of the women involved. Their breakthrough support slot with Cocteau Twins and first two albums with 4AD dazzled and dug deep, speaking in tones and temperatures unlike any band before or since. "And at some point, it seemed to people we just... disappeared," muses singer Anja Huwe. "So this myth of Xmal Deutschland just got bigger and bigger over the years." Gift reminds us of a past which sounds like an alternative present, wrapping - in distinctive style - Fetisch, Tocsin, and related EP tracks in a package pulsating with power and poise." (label info)