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Sep 01, 2014 Web Exclusive By Lily Moayeri

For Hard Believer, Fink‘s sixth album proper, he turns to live + electronics expert producer Billy Bush (Garbage, Beck, Foster the People) to bring dimension to his minimalist, sometimes predictable sound. Bush is a good match for Fink main man, Fin Greenall, who got his start making beats—including for Amy Winehouse—in the DJ world. And although Fink has been spending an inordinate amount of time collaborating on hits with John Legend, Hard Believer isn’t Fink “plugged in.” Rather, his identifying stripped back instrumentation and mumbling contemplations are executed with a tension that keeps the listener on edge.

The songs with the most character are bunched up together, frontloading Hard Believer. Album standout “Green and the Blue,” which starts deceptively quietly, is the most layered of the collection with tiered harmonies building and synthesizers creating hurtling soundscapes. “Two Days Later” has a feminine feel to it, like it could be coming from a female perspective, all lush and romantic. In contrast, the dubby, lo-fi “White Flag” recalls Massive Attack with spooky, muffled washes of echoing effects. And although “Pilgrim” is signature Fink with clenched teeth vocals and frantic guitar work, it has an intricacy that stops it from becoming monotonous.

This could be said for most of Hard Believer, which, without compromising Fink, fills empty spaces, leaving plenty of breathing room. (www.finkworld.co.uk)

Author rating: 6.5/10