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Fian — Notes from the Underground
(Bandcamp no#, 2022, DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2022-12-14

Notes from the Underground Cover art

When you write about music, you always have to remember that your reaction to any music is a matter of perspective. What you’ve heard before influences how you hear things, both consciously and unconsciously. Fian is a band that’s based near me in Seattle, but I’d never heard of them until quite recently. Their sound immediately grabbed me, and I couldn’t help comparing them to Spine Readers, another Northwest band that I’m familiar with, to the point that I had to check to make sure there weren’t any members in common. I realize that to many readers, Spine Readers will be a comparison that means nothing, so I’ll just say that there are three main factors involved: both bands have a very strong lead vocalist who changes his voice drastically from moment to moment, seeming to play a variety of characters to deliver the lyrics; second is a backing band that is supremely tight, capable of executing complex arrangements with ease; and lastly is a complete disregard for stylistic conventions, jumping from genre to genre not just between but within songs, carrying on the tradition started by Mr. Bungle back in the 80s. Notes from the Underground is their second album, and it plays like the work of a group that’s been honing their craft for a long time. It’s powerful and theatrical, and also more than a little nuts, and lead singer Jonathan Wilson is the kind of vocalist who can dominate the sound of a band - luckily his cohorts are capable of not only providing backing for his acrobatics but contributing big climaxes of their own. Each of the nine tunes has appealing quirks and catchy phrases likely to get lodged in the memory, though humming the tunes or singing along is generally not an option. I’ll throw out a possibly bizarre comparison — imagine if a flashy singer like Arthur Brown had fronted a tight band like Be Bop Deluxe, and they picked up a few pointers from mid-70s Sparks or pre-New Wave Split Enz. In any case, fans of creative and unpredictable rock music should check out Fian.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): Fian

More info
http://fian.bandcamp.com/album/notes-from-the-underground

 

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