kuchen is meriel barham. she’s living and working in leeds, england, and “kids with sticks” is her first album. subdued and friendly is her music. it consists of brief, sometimes very personal stories that do entirely without words. the seven tracks on this album are little pleasant bricolages of colourful sounds that walk up softly until they stand right in front of us with all the courage they could muster and say hello. “kids with sticks” can also be the perfect soundtrack to withdraw, together or alone, under the sofa blanket in cold winter months.