Articles
Robert Henke / Monolake
Lawrence English
Justin Martin

Albums
Chica and the Folder
Ciëlo
Cobblestone Jazz
Cokiyu
Continuum
Crescent
Deceptikon
Fear Falls Burning / Nadja:
Feu Thérèse
Fink
Luca Formentini
Robert Fripp
Gultskra Artikler
Helios
Klima
Komputer
Akira Kosemura
Lusine icl
Michaela Melián
Morning Recordings
Geoff Mullen
Múm
Christopher O'Riley
Pluramon
Pure H
Roam The Hello Clouds
Reverbaphon
Sawako
Skøtt, Rasmussen, Munk
Sleeping People
Slow Six
Studio
Supermayer
To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie
Two Lone Swordsmen
Valentina
Worrytrain

Compilations / Mixes
Benno Blome
Booka Shade
Lee Burridge
Cielo
Justin Martin
Henrik Schwarz
VA: Add To Friends
VA: An Taobh Tuathail
VA: Echod
VA: Ikude
VA: Sky Diary Edits

3"/ 7"/ 10"/ 12"/ EPs
Antonelli
Build Buildings
Sylvain Chauveau
Christ.
Daedelus
Daso
Matthew Dear
Goldmund
Kush Arora
Litwenko
Miss Fitz
Plant43
Pulsinger + DJ Glow
Sote
Strategy

Fink: Distance and Time
Ninja Tune

Rare for a Ninja Tune release, Fink's Distance and Time eschews samples entirely and, if there are electronic enhancements present, they're largely imperceptible. The album's stark presentation—vocals and acoustic guitar (plus, to a lesser degree, electric) joined by an occasionally hefty bass-and-drum attack on songs like “Trouble's What You're In” and the electrified closer “Little Blue Mailbox”—is perhaps even more surprising when one factors in the production contributions of Lamb's Andy Barlow. Regardless, Distance and Time's songs are delivered powerfully enough to accommodate their relatively uncluttered presentation. Certainly the sparse instrumental garb allows Fink's vocal nuances to be more audible, like the subtle hint of venom that bleeds through his smooth croon in “Trouble's What You're In” and the weary sigh that inflames his delivery in “This Is the Thing”; it's also nice to report that the singing withstands the scrutiny its prominent placement invites. Lyrically, the focus is on failed relationships and the cynical fallout and world weariness brought about by such experience. An undercurrent of violence and anger threatens to tear apart the propulsive aggression of “Blueberry Pancakes,” while “Get Your Share,” consistent with the overall mood of the material, sounds like it's less about generosity per se than vindictive comeuppance. The material is generally brooding, but there's resilience too: the foreboding tone of “Make It Good,” for example, is belied by a hopeful lyric that proposes that a broken relationship might be put “back together, piece by piece.” Distance and Time memorably demonstrates that screaming isn't the only way to make an impact.

November 2007