Ray - Death in Fiction

  by Helen Tipping

published: 3 / 5 / 2008

Label: Pito Records
Format: CD

intro

Psychedelic and literary-influenced melancholic fourth album from excellent London band, Ray

'Death in Fiction' finds Ray still in a melancholic mood. This time with the tales of a life lived vicariously through film and book, hence the title. The Bradford brothers, Nev and Mark, both vocals and guitars, are joined by Chris Low on drums and Martin Tisdall on bass for what they call an album with a concept, as opposed to a concept album. The theme of the album is carried over into the cover which is a pastiche of Penguin books but with a Dodo on it instead of a Penguin! I get a bit put off by the idea of a concept album, as it reminds me of musicals or 70's prog rock. For it to work each track should be able to stand alone and work independently of the rest of the album, and this is certainly the case with 'Death in Fiction'. Stand out tracks for me were 'Days to Come' which has a Moroccan sound to it at the beginning and which falls into a psychedelic look forward to life with all its mayhem and mishaps, which the protagonist chooses to ignore. His choices are starkly laid out in the next and title track. 'Great Strange Dream', the single reviewed previously, is definitely a quality track and I can see why it was released as a single. 'Roulette Sun' also appeals to me with the guitar work matching the vocals well to evoke the beginning of the end. Despite my initial misgivings, I enjoyed this psychedelic trip of an album with it’s early 70's sounds brought up to date and look forward to hearing more from Ray in the future.

Track Listing:-