From Fiction - Bloodwork

If music could sonically represent characters in a high school themed sitcom I could spend hours figuring out what artists would represent who. You would have your tough guy who deep down inside is a big whinebag filled with as much anxiety and disappointment as the rest of us (that would be Metallica). You would have the bookish, sexy girl who never talks to you but could very possibly be in love with you (Feist). You would have the World of Warcraft crew (Devo), the stoners (Nirvana, or Kyuss), the bullies (Sex Pistols, Slayer), The scary bullies (GG Allin, Gorgoroth) and then you would have those bullies that not only push you around, but they are smarter than you, read more books and get higher marks in math.

That would be From Fiction.*

From Fiction's music is more advanced than anything you are going to come up with. Trust me. They could package this record in a box and hurl it through space where thousands of years in the future it gets picked up by a crew of space travelers, where they would put it on and after three songs say "I don't know Jim, this shit sounds like it's from the future!". They were a buzz band for pretty much their whole career, and they always seemed to be a band on the brink. They broke up right before heading out on a cross Canada tour, leaving a hole in indie rock that has yet to be filled. They were powerful, talented, driven and they deserved any and all attention that they got. There was really only one problem.

Their music was fucking bonkers.

Looking back now, I think that the main problem was that no one knew how to market them. They were signed to Last Gang Records, the upper echelon of Canadian indie labels, but they really had nothing in common with the other acts on Last Gang. They didn't really have anything in common with any band going at the time, I'm actually still trying to convince myself that they really existed.

I played a show with From Fiction once, and experiencing them live was like having a heart attack for 45 minutes. It was pure insanity, and the main driving force behind it all was drummer Rob Gordon.

During their set Rob was playing intricate, technically difficult patterns with more instensity and power than I have ever seen. He then stood up while keeping up his playing and intensity.

Then he started orbiting around his drum kit, while still playing and screaming vocal parts. It was really something to behold.

I can't even really dissect this record, it's something that needs to be experienced, it can't be described. It's not something you would put on for a nice sunny stroll in the park, but it's a pretty incredible piece of music. I remember that as part of the promo for this album there was a ringtone available of one of the songs. My roomate Courtney downloaded it and had it on her phone for a while. It was pretty badass, but I am sure it turned heads in line at the bank.


*Remember, this is decided by what the music sounds like, not who they are in real life. I am 86% certain that From Fiction are definitely not bullies.

Audio/Visual Evidence: On their myspace there is a video for the most accessible song, Patterns in Similar Static. That's right, you read correctly. MOST accessible.