The Great Fiction - a Review of The Phantom Tollbooth

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Screaming Through the New Speak
Artist: The Great Fiction
Label: Independent
Length: 10 tracks, length: 62:35

The Great Fiction is one of a few bands out there (like This Beautiful Mess) tha'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.

Ken Mueller 2/16/2002

As 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 along with Jon Neme, have delivered lyrics, that aren't too complicated, into a blend of sounds that can either be great background music, driving music, or music used during times of pure thought. The best cuts on the CD occur up front with "All Messed Up," "Not of This World," "In This Realm," and "How Could You Do This." Again, simple lyrics combined with edgy, yet fluid melodies.

Themes center on God's amazing, never ending love for us as undeserving, messed up souls and the feeling that we really are aliens in this land. "All Messed Up" leads to the conclusion that we are messed up for the King of love. "Not of This World" reminds us that we are truly not of this world, something we tend to forget easily. In "How Could You Do This" TGF's lyrics take the listener into a state of worshipful thinking:

this broken body set me free
and I'm ok
who said that I was worth the call
it can't be me

This band has created a place for itself within this alternative genre of music and a CD that can be listened to frequently without becoming tiresome. If they continue to experiment, TGF will remain fresh and insightful and have a following that goes beyond the borders of Michigan.

Leslie Bogar 02/12/2002