For a guy who counts Ace Frehley among his influences, Swedish singer/guitarist/keyboardist Patrik Skantze makes music that sounds, shall we say, a little fey — and his (mostly acoustic) fretwork is nothing like Frehley's. Of course, Skantze later discovered Yes, the Alan Parsons Project, Steve Hackett and Camel, so we'll cut him some slack. Those disparate influences, however, still don't explain why Fiction At First View sounds so lightweight. Skantze's voice often resembles that of Coldplay's Chris Martin and the late Elliott Smith, wrapped around pleasant songs that just don't go anywhere. Vocalist/flute player Eva Björkner enlightens the tracks on which she accompanies Skantze, while the upbeat 11-minute epic "The Plunge" emerges as the record's best song. That track, and a few instrumental (or mostly instrumental) songs like "A New Morning In-Sight" and "Gleam of Hope" prove Skantze is a better musician than he is a singer, and reveal his promising progressive tendencies. That said, there are many other obscure releases more worthy of your time and money.
Track Listing:
1) Fiction at First View (Radio Edit)
2) Life Provider
3) A New Morning In-Sight
4) Strange Days
5) Gleam of Hope
6) My Dreams of Late
7) The Plunge
8) Craving for Knowledge
9) Appease
10) Fiction at First View
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