Perfect Darkness is the fifth studio album from British musician Fink, and the fourth to be recorded with his self-titled band. It was released on 13 June 2011 on Ninja Tune.[7][8]
| Perfect Darkness | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 June 2011 | |||
| Length | 46:54 | |||
| Label | Ninja Tune | |||
| Producer | Billy Bush, Fink | |||
| Fink chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 69/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| BBC Music | (positive)[3] |
| The Guardian | [4] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[5] |
| Under the Radar | 5/10[6] |
Background edit
The album was recorded in the space of 20 days with the intention of capturing a "sense of right nowness" and an "organic sounding recording". The title was chosen because it sounded "really first-tracky" to the band. Behind the title is also a deliberate misinterpretation of the genre of folk, and the album is described by Greenall not to be "a collection of songs about being dumped or ships leaving meadows or whatever it is people think folk's supposed to be nowadays, [it] is not that at all."[9]
The album was produced by Billy Bush (who has worked with artists such as Beck and Garbage) and recorded in Brighton and Los Angeles.[10]
Critical reception edit
Perfect Darkness was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 69 based on 7 reviews.[1]
In a review for The Guardian, critic reviewer Caroline Sullivan wrote: "His [Fink] fifth album often achieves such loveliness you don't want it to end. An organic warmth prevails on even the most emotionally chaotic songs – delicate fingerpicking and squeaking guitar strings sweeten the scathing "Honesty", while his hungover rasp on "Berlin Sunrise" paints an oddly seductive picture of the new day."[4]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Fin Greenall, Tim Thornton and Guy Whittaker, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Perfect Darkness" |
| 6:39 |
| 2. | "Fear Is like Fire" | 3:58 | |
| 3. | "Yesterday Was Hard on All of Us" | 4:55 | |
| 4. | "Honesty" |
| 4:33 |
| 5. | "Wheels" | 3:04 | |
| 6. | "Warm Shadow" | 5:46 | |
| 7. | "Save It for Somebody Else" |
| 3:49 |
| 8. | "Who Says" | 5:04 | |
| 9. | "Foot in the Door" | 5:03 | |
| 10. | "Berlin Sunrise" | 4:04 |
Personnel edit
|
Fink
Additional personnel
|
Production
|
Chart performance edit
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums (SNEP)[11] | 149 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] | 78 |
Release history edit
| Region | Date | Label | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 13 June 2011 | Ninja Tune | ZENCD170 |
| United States | 19 July 2011 |
References edit
- ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ Eremenko, Alexey. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ Wade, Ian. "BBC - Music - Review of Fink - Perfect Darkness". BBC. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Caroline (10 June 2011). "Fink: Perfect Darkness – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ Johnson, Andy (2 August 2011). "PopMatters Review". PopMatters. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ Moayeri, 5 August 2011. "Under the Radar Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "New LP - Perfect Darkness". Finkworld.co.uk. 29 April 2011. Archived from the original on 2 May 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ "Perfect Darkness - Fink". Ninja Tune. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ Kerr, Will (7 June 2011). "Fink: Interview". Gigwise. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ Stcikler, Jon (20 May 2011). "Stereoboard Speak To Fink About New Album 'Perfect Darkness', Collaborations & Cocktails". Stereoboard. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Fink {UK} – Perfect Darkness". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Fink {UK} – Perfect Darkness" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 July 2021.