Fictionist

Fictionist is an alternative band from Provo, Utah. I first heard them last Friday, the night before I saw them at the Summer Bash in Orem. I loved their sound; it reminded me of a lot of the bands I like, but it didn't sound like anyone I'd heard prior. My older brother, that went to the Summer Bash with me, left before Fictionist went on. That pissed me off immensely, to say the least, because the band has techno sound mixed with traditional rock and roll instruments that I feel would be right up his alley, but alas. 

Fictionist is a ten song self-titled album; prior to this they released an EP of the same name. One thing that I absolutely adore about this album is the fact that the sound and tone of each song is totally unique. So you never feel like you're hearing the same song over and over again. The lyrics on this album cause you to feel what the song wants you to feel, combining with the instrumental aspects of the song to create heartfelt, emotional songs. The songs have rises and falls that add to the feelings of each song.

There is a lot of synth used on the album; each song containing an assortment of sound effects ands instruments. The bass line used on each song gives a sort of funky and bluesy feel to their style; that combined with their quirky disposition reminds me of Sheldon Cooper- of The Big Bang Theory- singing "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen" by Louis Armstrong, but also brings to mind Brian Johnson- of The Breakfast Club- when he gets high during their stay in detention (that could just be me, though). A few of their songs on this album, namely "Leave The Light On", remind me of songs from the movie Once; with their folky sound and emotional lyrics and metaphors, but they still combine that with their own techno sound effects. They create something here that can be listened to, and loved, by fans of many different genres of music.

The song "Statue in the Stone" was one of the songs that initially caught my attention. It has very unique lyrics, filled with a mellow anger. It starts with a simple melody played on a keyboard, that reappears throughout the song; the melody is soon joined by a drumbeat and synth, then the vocals come in. A sort of spacey, sci-fi feel is present during the whole song, creating an out-of-this world song (that was a horrible pun). "Statue In The Stone" has heartfelt lyrics about facing obstacles, and overcoming them; my favorite lines are "And above my bed, inside my head there's a voice that's screaming 'Let me out'. I have known that I have grown to stand alone. I'm the statue in the stone."

I enjoy their mixing of styles and genres to create something that is all their own. This band is something you don't come across very often: a group of complete individuals, each with their own unique style (both in music and clothing), that create music that is absolutely spectacular. Fictionist just seems like a group of guys that know what kind of music they want to play, and how to play it.

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