Fictonian returns with a pocketful of wisdom from a "Little Blue Book"

30 July 2015, 10:00 | Written by Michael McAndrew

(Tracks)

(Billy Joel) (Fictonian)

The anonymous multi-instrumenatilist/multimedia artist Fictonian has rightfully garnered buzz with his particular brand of folk-rock, which manages to feel provocative and lively even as it takes the listener down familiar roads, but it’s his attention to detail - both in his self-directed videos and in his pointed lyrics - that has gained him a dedicated following and set him apart from likeminded revivalists and would-be revolutionaries.

On “Little Blue Book”, the artist crafts a narrative about a little blue book (whether that’s a reference to the cheap, long out of print mail-order titles of the same name is anyone’s guess) called “Follow Your Dreams” around an instrumental groove that bounces with a “Billy Joel Meets The Lumineers” jaunt. The wistful whistles and powerful chants that punctuate the pre and post choruses, respectively, manage to give levity to lines like “we all cry some days, and we all die one day.”

Fictonian says: "I think the meaning of the song is evident from the lyrics, and they say all I want to say really. The production of this one was fun though, as I decided I wanted a choir to sing the higher layer of the main hook, and so I went to record the New London Children's Choir. They allowed me in to one of their rehearsals up in Highgate, and I just turned up with my computer and a couple of mics, and they did it flawlessly straight away. I was in and out in the matter of minutes! They were a really fun bunch to have involved in the song, and I feel the spirit their voices add to the recording really help how I wanted the song to feel and come across.”

Fictonian's debut album Desire Lines will be released 6 November via Distiller Records.