The Great Fiction is one of a few bands out there (like This Beautiful Mess) that's moving the emo genre forward and not merely copying the sounds of their predecessors. The Detroit trio lays down some laid-back indie-rock sounds with Dan Zott's voice works its way through a selection of songs that fully grasp at the state of mankind in this world.
The disc starts out with "All Messed Up," declaring "We're all messed up for the King of love." God's magnificent gift of grace and his awesome presence are overriding themes as the band recognizes their smallness in relation to the Creator. Later on in "How Can You Do This?" they sing in amazement of what Christ did on the cross for us. And throughout they come up with some real lyrical gems, such as in "In This Realm" when they sing:
I will plead a case of mercy for my Judas heart again
I will recklessly attack because it's better, oh so better than a good reputation.
And again, in "The Plans," as they sing about how God's will can foil even our strongest of plans:
Creep until he finds me
Speak my way to mercy
God can you hear me out there?
And these themes continue throughout a very strong set. Not a weak song in the bunch, which bodes well for the distribution hopes of this band. Hopefully some indie label will sit up and take notice and give these guys a chance.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Leslie BogarAs a fan of Radiohead I am drawn to ethereal mixes of lyrics, vocals, guitar and percussion with a slight mix of emo and The Great Fiction accomplishes this with their new album Screaming Through the New Speak. Unlike Radiohead, the great fiction infuses truth into their lyrics and creates a style that begs for more length and more jamming. This trio from Detroit, comprised of Dan and Phil Zott…
