The acoustic version of Fink’s latest album, released this year. Ever since I heard Wheels turn beneath your feet I’ve been looking for that same sound. Bloom innocent had it, but I missed it when it was sold in stores. It is on my wishlist, but goes for way too much right now. I had hoped this one would be good, because the studio version of this album is amazing. Alas, it does not deliver on its promise.
Since this album is labeled as acoustic, I’ll take some time to investigate what that term means. As you might have found out in reading this blog, I listen mostly to classical music. So for me acoustic means strictly no electronics and no artificial amplification. That is not what it means in pop music. So what does it mean?
The term originated in the 60s, when artists like Bob Dylan used guitars that were not electric and were using a sound chamber to amplify the sound before it reached the microphone. A classic guitar is a good example. The instrument is amplified using a microphone in front. Electric meant using a piezo element in the guitar to pick up the sound directly from the string. There is no sound chamber used, and the guitar itself barely makes a sound when plucked without being connected to its amplifier.
In the 70s and 80s, with the advent of synth-pop, acoustic referred to a stripped down version, using less synths and effects. It was still using electrics though. That is still its meaning, though nuances between different styles exist. In the 90s this definition made it to main stream by the acoustic series of MTV Unplugged. I guess this is what Fink meant to do on this album.