The Fiction- ‘The Greatest Hits’ EP (05/03/2012- Populus)

     Unusually, The Fiction from Manchester, UK, have opted to name their debut record ‘The Greatest Hits’, reflecting their optimism for positive feedback. The band also chose to sell advanced copies of their EP at various live shows throughout the year to reach as many possible fans as possible, as well as streaming the tracks of the likes of Facebook and Twitter. The EP will be sold online from the 5^th March 2012 with a name-your-own-price format.

     ‘The Greatest Hits’ EP was recorded late last year in the band’s DIY studio and the band themselves have labelled it as their ‘best material so far!’, despite it being their first recording, the band appear to have grown and developed already from their early 2011 inception. The Fiction’s drummer and vocalist Aaron Stanton explained how proud the Victorian- esque threesome are of the record; ‘the response from our live crowds has already been mind-blowing!’.

'The Greatest Hits' EP artwork

     ‘Mediate’, in its wonderful acoustic form is full of charm and heart in its folk inspired style. The smooth sound fuses older and new music types and the harmonies, vocals and instrumentation are truly worthy of Bullet For My Valentine or Avenged Sevenfold’s earlier acoustic work. With a little exterior assistance with regards to lyrics, and perhaps better recording quality, The Fiction appear to have real potential to break into the industry. Even the final build up into the last chorus does not disappoint as it blends into a perfect final harmony.

     However, their non-acoustic offerings may not be as emotional, the band have a fantastic mixture of punchy and melodic tunes as well as a striking blend of theatrical and rock styles, without either overshadowing the other. ‘The Union’ has a great rhythmic beat used by the likes of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bullet For My Valentine’s metal edge and Panic! At The Disco’s theatrical (but not over the top) dramatic edge. The instrumentation is very strong but does not drown out the great vocal abilities of the band, and their blend of rock styles is seamless and undeniably effective.

The Fiction: Not to be Judged By Appearance  

     ‘Never Enough’ is yet another great track and although very sharp musically, some may discredit it for the lack of emotion or sentimentality. Yet the concluding gang vocals depict The Fiction’s hopeful aspirations for the future. The smooth guitaring and steady drumming make for epic metal tracks from ‘Worlds Apart’ and ‘Bragging Rights’ but with a good balance of emotion, harmony and instrumentation, these Creed inspired tracks really do The Fiction justice.

The Fiction's Logo

     However optimistic or self-righteous calling your first recording ‘The Greatest Hits’ may be, The Fiction are nothing short of astounding considering they have been together approximately one year. If this EP is anything to go by, the band has a great future in the music industry ahead of them.

5/5

Boyce Avenue – New Acoustic Sessions Vol. 1 (10/06/2011- Universal Republic)

     Boyce Avenue is an acoustic band formed in Sarasota, Florida in 2004 by three brothers, Alejandro Manzano (lead vocals, guitar and piano), Fabian Manzano (guitar, keyboards and backing vocals) and Daniel Manzano (percussion, bass, violin and backing vocals), as well as various touring members. After posting covers and original material to YouTube, which achieved views of around 11,000,000 the band set their sights with connecting with their rapidly growing online fanbase.

    The record begins with Katy Perry’s chart topper ‘Teenage Dream’, pin-pointing Boyce Avenue as innocent ridden artists in a world of songwriting about parties and one night stands. This is because they not only make the track their own with gentle vocals and instrumentation, but also change various somewhat suggestive lyrics, for instance, from ‘Let’s go all the way tonight...’ to ‘Let’s just talk all through the night, there’s no need to rush’. It is also clear that Alejandro’s voice is nothing but stunning, and the band have managed to format a half decent pop song into something that really tugs at your heart rings.

     Taio Cruz’s mind-numbingly repetitive composition, ‘Dynamite’ appears completely reformatted when generic studio-created beats and overly-edited vocals are replaced with tender guitaring and vocals. Boyce Avenue prove that pop music can still have a soul. Although ‘Just the Way You Are’, originally by Bruno Mars is a sentimentally driving track anyway, Boyce Avenue’s arrangement makes it earth-shattering beautiful with the natural simplicity of the vocals in particular.

    However, the band step up and do something incredibly brave following their covers of current chart competitors, by including a Michael Jackson track, and not one that everyone necessarily knows, ‘Will You Be There?’. Yet because of how different Jackson’s and Manzano’s vocal styles are, it somehow works. The track also boasts the vocal abilities of the other Manzano brothers, constructing a flawless wall of sound. ‘With Arms Wide Open’ by American rock band ‘Creed’ is originally superb song, reflecting how high Boyce Avenue are setting their sights, as well as their aspirations regarding musical variety; leaping from Pop songs, to Michael Jackson, to rock tracks, and doing each one justice.

The Album Cover for 'New Acoustic Sessions Vol. 1'

   Boyce Avenue have cleverly constructed this record, clearly including material from artists like enjoy personally, as they have inputted another Bruno Mars piece, ‘Grenade.’ The original of this track is very good as it stands, but the string section and heart-wrenching harmonies modify it to an eerily tender track. A blend of yet another Bruno Mars (featuring B.O.B) song, ‘Nothin’ On You’, Justin Timberlake’s ‘My Love’ and Far East Movement’s ‘Rocketeer’ follows, proving that there is some heart in popular music, and in this acoustic form, the listener can really appreciate the songs lyrically. 


     ‘Pink’s’ fan outreach track ‘F**ckin’ Perfect’, censored to ‘Perfect’ for this album, is a wonderful composition of light and shade throughout the song, uplifting lyrics and spot-on instrument arrangements. Take That’s ‘Back For Good’ is nothing if not a classic love song, depicting how high Boyce Avenue have set their sights, even with their covers. Although this track is well performed, the arrangement is somewhat disappointing as it does not illustrate the band varying it in any way whatsoever. Boyce Avenue’s dazzling harmonies exposed at their peak in ‘Water Runs Dry’, and although the arrangement is similar to the original Boyz II Men set-up, it conveys how talented the band are, and the great potential they have to dip their toes into so many genres and styles.


     Kings Of Leon are by no means the best lyricists, musicians or performers, but their track ‘Radioactive’ works so well in the original composition format. Therefore, there is something that does not fit correctly for the Manzano’s arrangement. But Black Eyed Peas’ ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ is nothing sort of appalling, so any variation is warmly welcomed. However, this track eradicates the innocence Boyce Avenue have had peppered throughout the rest of ‘New Acoustic Sessions Vol. 1’.

Boyce Avenue

      Although the album shows Boyce Avenue’s overall potential and commercial appeal, it seems to deteriorate from the outset, as if less effort was used to form the final few tracks. Yet when the material works, it is emotive and charming and boasts exquisite vocals.

4/5