The Fair Attempts Deconstruct the Mythologizing of One’s Self-Destructive Behavior on the Orchestral “Dark Star”

Finnish darkwave band The Fair Attempts inject some beautifully cold tonality into its single “Dark Star.” Fitting for a song seemingly about a person who has become disconnected from their core identity and sense of self. Like a song sung to oneself as a vehicle for confronting aspects of one’s personality that might otherwise be easy to ignore at one’s peril. The lyrics “The shadow cast I see right through” in the early part of the song articulates a deep sense of how a person is so far beyond stretched out past who they are they are even more insubstantial to themselves than a shadow. The minimalist piano melody and keyboard generated drones flow through the song in regretful tones and in moments the vocals echoing in a touch of reverb sounds like it was recorded in a cathedral. In moments it’s reminiscent of some of the more dark and mournful side of Sarah McLachlan’s 1993 album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy in that quality of tapping into an orchestral sound in miniature but perfect for enhancing the vulnerable side of the song and an undertone of aching past self-abuse lingering into the present. Listen to “Dark Star” on Spotify and follow The Fair Attempts at the links below.