STROM from Berlin had become a well-known entity in the capital a few years ago. This was due to the fact that the band had a dreamy drummer named Sabine. Technically simply brilliant. It was also thanks to the charismatic singer Highko, who not only gave it his all on stage but also received a Flying V as a gift from a certain Rudi Schenker. How does one achieve that? Well, through persistence and a song called “Flying V“. The band received great promotion back then and was a tip in the scene.
For a long time, it was quiet around the band. Drummer Sabine left, a replacement was found, and Highko joined other bands where he was touring as a musician. But now the second album is finished, titled “Between the Chairs“. Thirteen songs were recorded in the studio by Tom Schwoll (among others, guitar with DIE SKEPTIKER).
The album has a clearer structure than the predecessor “Nr. 1“. The sound is a mix of very poppy punk rock, 80s punk, when punk was still punk and 16-track recordings were a luxury, and German rock. The band has chosen the title correctly. With the sound, they sit between the chairs. The songs are lyrically easy to digest but can be hard to swallow from time to time. The structures are often simple. Rhymes are frequent, but sometimes one wonders what Highko wants to express with the lyrics. This starts with the first song “Liebeskummer am 1. Mai“, which only fragmentarily deals with car traffic on May 1st in Kreuzberg. More peaceful than combative. More artistic than realistic. Not overly intellectual, but somehow the lyrics are not always easily graspable, making it hard to categorize. What exactly does the band do?
What do they want to convey? And when songs like “Wir sprechen deutsch“ are heard, I wonder if that is satire or serious. One remains in the dark.
It is not easy to listen to the album, even though some songs definitely have hit potential, such as “An der Bar“, “Pfoten Weg“, “Paul“ or “Leck mich“. The chorus is fantastic. I will try it out at work tomorrow.
Overall, the record leaves a very ambivalent impression, which it does not lose even after multiple listens. With this record, the name is indeed the program.
