Folk artist Fictonian releases his debut album ‘Desired Lines’ this November. We were fortunate enough to get a sneak preview and in truth this first listen has done little to dampen our eager anticipation…
Fictonian’s tracks have received wide acclaim in the past year from the music press, as have his musical performances – in the summer he supported Nick Mulvey (Mercury Music Award nominee) at a sold out St Pancras Old Church.
The brainchild of artist Glen Roberts, Fictonian’s music evades being couped into any particular pigeon-hole (although his album is laden with a heavy folk influence throughout). ‘Desire Lines‘ is a body of work that reflects a mind as visual as it is musical, with a quaint wilderness beyond the urban jungle being a major creative theme for Roberts.
Opening track ‘Anticipation‘ tip toes into a laid back and bouyant groove. Fans of Bon Iver, ‘Into the wild’ and long walks in the countryside will find a haven in this beautifully dreamy tune. This acts as something of an intro for the much more dramatic and cathartic ‘Make it be ours’.
Roberts songwriting borrows cues from a wide plethora of artists without losing sight or focus of his own direction. His music may generally render a daydream but he does a splendid job in keeping a tight grip on the reality that he is driving you to.
At just 1.17 ‘Vacillation‘ could easily be labelled as a filler track but in truth its combination of repetitive acoustic guitar loops and smatterings of charming vocal layers are a triumph – it seems strange for me to consider a contender for track of the album but it’s a hook I’d gladly get caught on.
Roberts’ love of loops and various instruments is apparent throughout ‘Desire Lines‘ but don’t be fooled into thinking this is a hamming together of cheap effects and pre-manufactured samples. Give ‘The Hat‘ a listen and you’ll discover such crispness and detail that it’s impossible to imagine anything short of our Fictonian sat in a lamplit studio perfecting every single note and nuance himself.
There is a minor-lull in the middle of the album in my view. Tracks like ‘Moira Junction’ and ‘Little Blue Book‘ are well-crafted and musically on-point, but seem to meander across that hedged boundary too far into quaint dreaminess.
‘I remember‘ ends with a soaring coda that drags it out of its reminiscent frame and into the mind of the here and now. Final track ‘Full Circle Influence’ does a good job in wrapping things up the way in which all good HBO dramas end… with greater questions than answers, thanks in part to its mysterious change in tone from being less inquisitive and more purposeful.
Overall it’s not hard to see why Fictonian’s hype has been gathering such pace. In an urban reality with its fluorescent noise and constant demand for our attention, ‘Desire Lines‘ offers a tranquil and ultimately beautiful escape. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a masterpiece but it certainly comes close to being the perfect headphones moment for would be escape artists.
8/10
‘Desire Lines’ comes out on November 13, 2015.
