REVIEW: Fink - IIUII [Ninja Tune]

Text: Stunt Keaton

Hablar de Fink es hablar de una de esas referencias que hay que escuchar, entender y saborear para saber que depara el sonido contemporáneo. Podríamos denominarlo como el cantautor del siglo XXI. Un auténtico genio de la guitarra que nos hace viajar con solo su voz y su guitarra a paisajes sonoros evocadores, transgresores y a la vez placidos.

Su último trabajo titulado "IIUII" es una reinterpretación y una vuelta a la grabación de sus más grandes canciones vistos desde un punto de vista futuro. Unas nuevas versiones que te dejan ver como un artista de la talla de Fink puede llegar a evolucionar, reversionar y volver a hacerlas nuevas sin perder la esencia. Manteniendo como eje central ese himno eterno y ese disco homonimo llamado "Warm Shadow", Fink nos transporta por una reimaginación de sus canciones entre el año 2006 y 2016 en el que para suerte de todos los oyentes, todo evoluciona, todo cambia y todo tiene un sentido genial.

Tenemos mucha suerte de tener a artistas de la talla de Fink y que con este disco titulado "IIUII" a través de, como no, Ninja Tune, podremos disfrutar, volver a disfrutar y quien sabe, reimaginar una y otra vez.

"Fink releases “IIUII” (It Isn’t Until It Is) album, ahead of a 58 date European tour.

IIUII is essentially a re-imagining, a reminiscence and a unique take on the "best of" format, with the band re-recording key Fink tracks from 2006-16 - "that whole arc, from my bedroom to having a proper hit, playing the big festival stages with big production, and all the rest." In 2019, after heavy band touring for three years, Fin did a solo acoustic tour which took him full circle back to the simplicity of those early days - and making an album that reflected this seemed a beautiful way to tie the whole story together.

IIUII, then, is a retrospective, but it’s just as much about the here and now. To re-record those songs with the maturity that Fin and his band members have achieved is about viewing the past through the lessons it has taught, not just remastering and repeating it. This was a chance to listen back through all the records, appreciate them for what they are, separate from the usual demands of which songs work on stage – and then give each song the treatment it deserves.

The album’s lead single “Warm Shadow (IIUII)” sits at the heart of the record, reimagining one of Fink’s best loved songs. An intimate plea urgently delivered with driving guitar and voice, building irresistibly with keyboard and percussion.

"Warm Shadow was for years the perfect set opener - driving, percussive but vibey at the same time - it allowed us all to get our eye in for the show - and to start the night right - it's one of those tracks we can play in our sleep - and one of the few tracks that just never gets tired - if anything, we love it more the longer we play it - and at festivals it would regularly exceed 10 minutes once we got it going!"

So here it is, and here Fink is - having taken the road less travelled and proved it worked - It Isn’t Until It Is!"