Australian artist Alex Gillett claims that his music "captures those quiet moments of introspection just before sleep". Not that this record by Boy Is Fiction will make anyone sleep by any means. It's certainly pitched at the quiet/ambient end of the electronic spectrum but it's also a record which explores the deepest of emotions.

Beginning in typically subdued fashion, the piano underscoring 'Why Did You Do That' is elegant and moving; a track which becomes more meaningful as it's repeated melody and persuasive melancholia gradually lodges itself into the brain. The piano proves to be the consistent thread in most of the tracks. For 'I'll Look For You' the rainy day misery is countered by punchy beats, the beats are clipped for 'Stack Is Bad' and although it takes a full two minutes for the piano to make its entrance, when it does there's a perfect combination of keys and digital technology. This track in turn segues into the welcoming warmth of 'Should Have Stopped'; it's a moment which evokes the jazz/post rock atmospheres of Bark Psychosis. After this the effects become more distorted but still retain an aura of night time drama. Much like fellow exponents Labradford, Boy Is Fiction is capable of making soulful music from entirely instrumental origins.

This debut release of the Australian artist tries to capture those quiet moments of introspection just before sleep. This is a collection of late nights experiments with keys, guitars, samplers, drum machines, synths and effects evolving into fragile, emotional, melancholic tracks. This album is not a masterpiece, the piano patterns are too obvious and repetitive and I also have the feeling most tracks miss an interesting progressive approach. There are some good ideas and therefore I'd like to mention the more interesting elements in "If you hear me fall", where an easy trip hop beat delivers this little extra. To me this is melancholic mellow background music for a lazy day after a crazy night.

Background information on Boy Is Fiction is scarce so the ten tracks on his solid debut set of emotive electronica will have to suffice. Stately piano melodies are the nucleus around which the Australian artist assembles his material. A given song opens with a reverb-heavy weave of pretty piano melodies, then swells dramatically as more instruments appear, with the whirr and click of hefty drum machine beats often offsetting the melancholy mood established by the piano playing. Electronic effects and guitar add texture (a factory machine-like churn provides contrasting counterpoint to the stirring tones that shudder through the generally placid "I'll Look for You"), and push the sound into a blurry zone that resembles a slow-motion meeting ground between ambient and shoegaze.

There's a definite trajectory to the album with the more restrained first half eventually giving way to heavier and aggressive tracks like "Glue/Let Me Think" and "Say Ah" that, in their most aggressive moments, rise to a scalding, beehive roar. In the opening songs, bell-like electric piano tones tinkle brightly in "Bif vs 307" and stately melodies ripple through the late night air in "Why Did You Do That." Halfway through, organ tones lend "Stack is Bad" a church-like ambiance while crisp funk beats animate "If You Hear Me Fall." "The Bits in the Numbers" closes the album dramatically with deep synth lines and epic drumming. The journey-like feel is bolstered by the absence of gaps between its ten pieces. If Boy Is Fiction isn't necessarily an overly innovative release on stylistic grounds, it's certainly an accomplished and well-executed debut.

"...a jaw-dropping excellent album of flowing electronica and emotional, epic progressions, which should fit somewhere between the equally-great Xela and releases from n5md. Modest, laid-back, and still beautiful and deeply touching, this is quite a tour de force for both this young band and label, and a release which I wholeheartedly recommend."

Good album art is downright lovely at times. Go pick up an Efterklang or Joy Wants Eternity record and not only will you find great music in an attractive cover, but that the two forms of art mirror each other. You can tell what type of music those albums will be just by absorbing the way they are presented, and after listening to the album, the unity of the music and art is unmistakable. The meaning and power of each form of art grows when they are twinned, resulting in a work that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Australian artist Boy is Fiction ties his art to his music so tightly that they’re closer to Siamese twins than the identical ones of other artists. The dark, pock-marked concrete wall on the cover, with the similarly-colored rectangular corrugated tin nailed to part of this wall evoke and reflect the dirty, industrial simplicity of the self-titled debut. At times sedate, at times paranoid, but always effective, the album is perfect for moonlight walks through “streets that follow like a tedious argument of insidious intent” or a deserted industrial park.

Album opener “BiF vs 307” wastes no time in setting the tone for the album, with light keys dancing from the start, creating a subtle hint of paranoia that may be overshadowed by the relaxed, confident beauty the rest of the track exudes. By the time the dirty, industrial programmed beats come in, there is no turning back – the track is burned into your mind, leaving you clamoring for more. Reversed vocal samples are used to great effect on “Why Did You Do That?” and “Stack is Bad,” adding an eerie feel to the tracks while flowing perfectly with the beats. Praise is due to “Should Have Stopped,” undoubtedly the standout track of the album. All the grit, fear, and beauty of the tracks before and after it flow into the dark underlying drone and nagging keys. This is the kind of track that will leave you looking over your shoulder at night, eyeing nervously anyone who happens to cross your path.

This album is the perfect soundtrack to modernism, with all its self-doubt and loss of faith, always seeking something but losing it in a haze of smog and machinery. Though a few of the longer tracks overstay their welcome, this is a solid debut album that is difficult to avoid getting wrapped up in. I, for one, can’t wait to see the next album’s cover.

This debut album from Boy is Fiction is also the first release from List Records out of the UK. Boy is Fiction is a electronic/ambient project from a fellow named Alex out of Melbourne, Australia. While the music on this album is clearly electronic, its wide use of more traditional instruments lends it an underlying organic feel and in many ways compares to the instrumental portions of Massive Attack.

Boy is Fiction incorporates keyboards, guitars, samplers, drum machines, and synths on his debut. The music itself is a steady mix of conventional versus less conventional instruments and harsh versus more mellow sounds. Usually, the base of the song relies on keyboard, synth, guitar and drum machines and other jarring, glitch-like electronic samples bounce around in the foreground. Most of the songs feel almost like remixes because of this, as if the electronic parts are a reinterpretation of or addition to the music underneath.

"Say Ah" is one of the nicest tracks on the disc, as it fully utilizes the juxtaposition between all of the musical and instrumental elements at work. A gentle piano riff plays in the background while echoed, distorted guitar chords play off to one side. Finally, the whole song is topped off by fast, pounding bass drum sounds. The overall effect is impressive, as the song builds to bass filled climax and slowly fades back. Another impressive moment comes in ?The Bits in the Numbers? as a snare drum sound does its cadence alongside the usual keyboard and guitar.

Boy is Fiction's debut is overall a pretty satisfying album with its variety of sounds, but it still could have used a few more amped-up moments to shake things up a bit. Regardless, it is a promising and intriguing start for both Boy is Fiction and List Records. 7/10

...not sure what it is about this album, maybe the subtle melodies, maybe the transition from quiet piano pieces with minimal backing, to harsh electronic tracks, maybe its that the album is best listened to as a whole, i dont know, but i love it. Im looking forward to what Boy Is Fiction has in store for the future.

Boy Is Fiction offers up a great album somewhere between Near The Parenthesis' melodic honesty and Gridlock's less intense compress/hold/release watermark.

Thank goodness for Last.fm! I was listening to my "Arms and Sleepers" (previously blogged about artist here at Chillout Scene) radio station and came across "If You Hear Me Fall" by Australian artist Boy Is Fiction.

If You Hear Me Fall begins with a spacey intro and a great driving beat. It is more of an ambient track that has random high hat hits and offsetting piano chords that build into a beautiful melody. It is blissfully hypnotic and perfect for chillin'. Later in the track, some more synth chords start to build to a magnificent crescendo.

"Should Have Stopped" begins almost as a soundtrack to a final scene in a film with a heart wrenching ending. Then an eclectic beat begins and it takes off into a downtempo almost trance-like track.

There are so many interesting sounds in this music, you have to listen to each track multiple times to hear them all. The artist (not sure if it's one person or multiple) uses a lot of chime sounds for melodies, kind of like Ulrich Schnauss.

I'm making this a short post as I'm heading out of town tomorrow but I would really love to hear more from this great chillout artist! Check out Boy is Fiction on MySpace or LastFM to hear some great chillout tracks!