Stromkern: Flicker Like a Candle
- The Mercy Seat
- Heretic II (Visionary)
- Metatron
- The Mercy Seat (Agendacide Mix by Attrition)
- Heretic I (Inquisition)
- The Surgeon
- Hardware (A New Form of Beauty)
"Flicker Like a Candle" is the long awaited debut from the Wisconsin solo act
of Stromkern, brought to us via the long route through the German label Kodex
Records. Ned Kirby has worked long on this EP and it shows by the wide range of
styles, genres, and concepts utilized on this all to short release. The CD
starts out with a minimalistic cover of Nick Cave's 'The Mercy Seat' complete
with piano and classical accompaniment, created of course via a keyboard. Next
up is a version of 'Heretic' that is heavy on the abrasive percussion and dance
floor rhythm. This track also has some of the better rap style vocals I've
heard from an Electro artists since SMP. 'Metatron' comes third, and is
probably my least favorite tracks due to the dissonant quality of the drum and
keyboard filters that seem to not mix well. A remixed version of 'The Mercy
Seat' by Attrition is next followed by a second remix of 'Heretic'. Neither
track differs much from the original, but are adequate rearrangements
nonetheless. 'The Surgeon' and 'Hardware' round out a very strong EP that proves
that American Electro isn't dead, it just lives on European labels who
appreciate the music like a connoisseur.
Stromkern is:
Ned Kirby
Contact:
Kodex Records
Barfusser Str.27
35037 Marburg
Germany
E-mail: ned@upl.cs.wisc.edu
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