CD Review

Fektion Fekler – “Into the Sun”

By Marcus Pan

The CD as a whole comes across almost messy, with very washed out synthetics and vocals slipped amongst each other and smudged aurally, at least for the first half or so of the disc. The opening Sunsky is a case in point with ambient synthetic washes mashed together and vocals joining the fray.

Pigs Feet starts clean with a simple drum 'n bass track that is met with a rather funky rhythm. Generations has a similar simply done yet very catch rhythm/bass series, but tends to suffer from the same smudging that was witnessed in Sunsky. It is still, nonetheless, a very head-moving and catchy tune. After an instrumental interlude with Heathen, Legends takes us back into the mash, though more associated with the vocals than the music. For some reason I care for this smudgy song more than the others like it on Into the Sun.

By the time we get most of the way through the disc, roughly the last third, we've reached a different area of Fektion Fekler's music. Now switching to acoustic guitar more often with a minimal amount of electronics, Through the Days begins the run. It's very comfortable, very soothing and has a folk flair to it – something you'd might hear at a campfire – assuming you went camping with gothy types anyway.

Visitor picks up next with a slow, brooding electronic march and a killer guitar solo to close it out. And Instincts brings us another acoustic dirge and Its Over is much of the same, though all well done. Its Over is a very lamenting song, though its guitar portion is rather unchanging – it alludes more to poetry than songwriting, which of course is just fine really. Saved takes us dangerously close to Simon and Garfunkel territory, standing solidly in folk song territory complete with broodding harmony and acoustic strumming. Very unexpected on this CD and certainly well done, but quite short.

Into the Sun closes with Liberate Tutement, which takes us back to the electronic sounds, but continues the slow dirge pace that started as the guitars came out to play. We're also returned to the mish-mash smoosh up again, but the song suffers to close the CD on a dark tone with aplomb. Liberate Tutement was meant, it seems, specifically to close a body of work – it's a culmination somehow, floating smudgingly back home.

Into the Sun is certainly an interesting CD for Fektion Fekler. The change up of musical styles you'll encounter as you hit the latter third of the CD is sure to throw off most people, but the release has a way of clinging to you and growing on you.

Contact Information:
Static Sky Records
Post: PO Box 2908, Glenville, NY, 12325, USA
E-Mail: info@staticskyrecords.net
Web: www.staticskyrecords.net

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