Album Review: Fink – Perfect Darkness
To most people, Fink is just a unknown entity. But to a great many artists around the world he is an inspiration and provokes heartfelt reactions amongst the community he works in. So it’s to nobody’s surprise that Fink’s new release ‘Perfect Darkness’ has slinked in under the radar. This is the Bristol-born producer/artist’s 4th album and after 3 records which had critics and artists gushing alike, saw him writing for Amy Whitehouse, John Legend and Professor Green.
This album carries on in the same suit as his past efforts and is full of the same kind of lyrically potent heart melters that he has become known for. Opener ‘Perfect Darkness’ slides beautifully into your ears and has that kind of intense beauty of romantic finger-picking that epitomizes the charm of this album. Next you have ‘Fear is like Fire’, a slow burning tune with charm unlike most other singer songwriters plaguing the genre. That is the beauty of Fink; he can go from immense beauty in tracks like these, to chaotic bursts like album closer ‘Berlin Sunrise.’
Comfortably though, I can say that this album won’t be regarded as a classic. With talent like this comes the fact that there are no stand-out crowd grabbers. Nothing that will make the Radio1 A Playlist, and in that lies what I feel is the only flaw with this record; it is a record which while being beautifully lyrically and musically on first listen, it just doesn’t stay with you. Catchy tracks are what the public want, but usually it’s a choice between that and the critical acclaim.
Here is an album that rightly went down the road for critical acclaim. Unsurprisingly, he will receive it, as this album has everything you could really ask for: stunningly haunting acoustic guitar work and fantastic lyrics. Little else can be said about this, except for that well you will find it a bit of a Marmite album, best approached with caution.
7/10
Fink’s ‘Perfect Darkness’ is available now from Ninja Tune.
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