Fiction Family (album)
Encyclopedia
Fiction Family is the debut studio album by the collaboration between Switchfoot
frontman and solo artist Jon Foreman
and Nickel Creek
guitarist and solo artist Sean Watkins
. It was released January 20, 2009 through the indie record label, ATO Records
.
The tracking of the record was very organic, with little production involved besides some basic samples the two created from scratch. It was recorded completely in Foreman and Watkins' home studios, and with a few exceptions, "every note was written, arranged, played, recorded, mixed, and mastered by sean and myself," Foreman said.
"A lot of our sessions consisted of playing new songs that we’d written or songs that we’d learned and then saying, ‘That’s really good’ or ‘I don’t really like that one’ or ‘I like the chorus on that one, but maybe we could write a new verse,’" said Watkins about the experience of writing with Foreman.
Regardless of contribution, the credits for the writing of the songs were split between Foreman and Watkins evenly, plus a cover of Abbey Lincoln's "Throw It Away". Songwriting credits are listed neither in the liner notes nor on any website.
One of the songs, "Throw It Away," is actually an original song by singer Abbey Lincoln
"On that one, he’d (Foreman) learned it and I hadn’t heard the original one yet at all," said Watkins of their recording process for the song. "He played it and I thought it was great, just a good song with a great arrangement. We added a couple things to it and used it."
The pair switched roles between the songwriter and the producer throughout the project. "The second song we did together, called 'Out of Order,' (Sean) pretty much wrote on his own and I provided more of the producer role," Foreman says. "When one of us was producing the song, it allowed the other to dive more into the artistic elements of the song."
would be releasing the record on their label. But that deal apparently fell through, and the album was shelved until ATO Records
picked it up late in 2008.
calls the project "wildly inventive and spontaneous... the work stands in victorious defiance against a crumbling conventional music industry." JFH praises the diversity of the record, saying "each song is meticulously crafted, and strikingly different from the eleven other songs on the record." Silent Sound Waves likened Foreman's and Watkins' efforts to what "put The Beatles and The Eagles on the map."
at number 71, selling 7000 copies in the first week of its release. It was well-received at online retail sites, as well, reaching as high as No. 5 on iTunes
' top overall albums on its first day of release.
packages the music video for "When She's Near" as well as the three bonus tracks on the EP from the Deluxe Edition:
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
frontman and solo artist Jon Foreman
Jon Foreman
Jonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....
and Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek was an American progressive acoustic music trio consisting of Chris Thile , Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins . The band was founded in 1989 and released 6 albums between 1993 and 2006...
guitarist and solo artist Sean Watkins
Sean Watkins
Sean Charles Watkins is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is a member of the contemporary folk band Nickel Creek, the duo Fiction Family and the supergroup Works Progress Administration.-Nickel Creek:...
. It was released January 20, 2009 through the indie record label, ATO Records
ATO Records
According to Our Records was founded in early 2000 by Dave Matthews , Coran Capshaw, Chris Tetzeli, and Michael McDonald as a division of RCA Records...
.
History and Recording
Foreman and Watkins began their collaboration in 2005, and eventually pieced together their first song called "Betrayal." The pair continued to write songs in the same manner because Nickel Creek and Switchfoot were both constantly on the road touring. "Whoever was home from tour would chip away at the songs with no real expectations at all," said Foreman. It was "mainly just for ourselves and for the love of the song I suppose."The tracking of the record was very organic, with little production involved besides some basic samples the two created from scratch. It was recorded completely in Foreman and Watkins' home studios, and with a few exceptions, "every note was written, arranged, played, recorded, mixed, and mastered by sean and myself," Foreman said.
"A lot of our sessions consisted of playing new songs that we’d written or songs that we’d learned and then saying, ‘That’s really good’ or ‘I don’t really like that one’ or ‘I like the chorus on that one, but maybe we could write a new verse,’" said Watkins about the experience of writing with Foreman.
Music and lyrical content
Watkins and Foreman's writing methods were varied, but most of the time, Watkins would come up with a melody and Foreman would write the lyrics. "There’s a few songs where I just gave him the melody idea and he wrote all the words over it," said Watkins. "A couple times, there were some lyrical collaborations but it was more about what sounded better and less about content."Regardless of contribution, the credits for the writing of the songs were split between Foreman and Watkins evenly, plus a cover of Abbey Lincoln's "Throw It Away". Songwriting credits are listed neither in the liner notes nor on any website.
One of the songs, "Throw It Away," is actually an original song by singer Abbey Lincoln
Abbey Lincoln
Anna Marie Wooldridge , better known by her stage name Abbey Lincoln, was a jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. Lincoln was unusual in that she wrote and performed her own compositions, expanding the expectations of jazz audiences.-Biography:Born in Chicago, Illinois, she was one of many...
"On that one, he’d (Foreman) learned it and I hadn’t heard the original one yet at all," said Watkins of their recording process for the song. "He played it and I thought it was great, just a good song with a great arrangement. We added a couple things to it and used it."
The pair switched roles between the songwriter and the producer throughout the project. "The second song we did together, called 'Out of Order,' (Sean) pretty much wrote on his own and I provided more of the producer role," Foreman says. "When one of us was producing the song, it allowed the other to dive more into the artistic elements of the song."
Distribution
Eventually, the pair had pulled together enough songs for an EP, but enjoyed the project so much they decided to continue writing until they had a full record. They finished tracking in 2007, and rumors were swirling that Starbucks CoffeeStarbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
would be releasing the record on their label. But that deal apparently fell through, and the album was shelved until ATO Records
ATO Records
According to Our Records was founded in early 2000 by Dave Matthews , Coran Capshaw, Chris Tetzeli, and Michael McDonald as a division of RCA Records...
picked it up late in 2008.
Critical reception
The album has been well-received amongst many review publications. Relevant MagazineRelevant Magazine
RELEVANT Magazine is a bimonthly magazine providing content on “God, life, and progressive culture”. It is published by RELEVANT Media Group and a circulation of 56,667. Its companion web presence, RELEVANTmagazine.com, launched in 2002 with the email newsletter, 850 Words of RELEVANT...
calls the project "wildly inventive and spontaneous... the work stands in victorious defiance against a crumbling conventional music industry." JFH praises the diversity of the record, saying "each song is meticulously crafted, and strikingly different from the eleven other songs on the record." Silent Sound Waves likened Foreman's and Watkins' efforts to what "put The Beatles and The Eagles on the map."
Sales and charts
The album entered the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
at number 71, selling 7000 copies in the first week of its release. It was well-received at online retail sites, as well, reaching as high as No. 5 on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
' top overall albums on its first day of release.
Versions
Orders of the album from the band's online store come in three different options: Deluxe Edition, Vinyl, and CD.Deluxe Edition
The Deluxe Edition, which was limited to only 500 orders, comes with the album cd, as well as the following:- Autographs by Watkins and Foreman
- Vinyl album
- DVD
- Bonus 3-song EP
- Limited edition Fictional Family print.
- Printable Holiday Card
Tracklisting
- "When She’s NearWhen She’s Near"When She's Near" is the first single from the Jon Foreman/Sean Watkins collaboration Fiction Family's debut eponymous album. The song was first heard in early performances by Fiction Family, who still went by The Real SeanJon at the time. The earliest recorded performance was in December, 2007...
" - 2:55 - "Out Of Order" - 3:31
- "Not Sure" - 3:06
- "Betrayal" - 3:03
- "Elements Combined" - 3:38
- "War In My Blood" - 2:57
- "Throw It Away" - 4:14
- "Closer Than You Think" - 3:12
- "Please Don’t Call It Love" - 5:11
- "Mostly Prove Me Wrong" - 3:02
- "We Ride" - 3:18
- "Look For Me Baby" - 1:35
Bonus Tracks
The album on iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
packages the music video for "When She's Near" as well as the three bonus tracks on the EP from the Deluxe Edition:
- "Friday I'm in LoveFriday I'm in Love"Friday I'm in Love" is a song by British rock band The Cure. It is the second single taken from the album Wish , and is among the band's most well-known songs...
" (The CureThe CureThe Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
cover) - "Resurrect Me" (Jon Foreman song)
- "No Other Needs" (Sean Watkins song)
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
#71 |
| 2009 | Billboard Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums | #20 |
| 2009 | Billboard Comprehensive Albums Billboard Comprehensive Albums Billboard Comprehensive Albums was established in 2003 and was a weekly albums chart produced by Billboard magazine that ranked the biggest selling albums in the United States regardless of the product's age or method of sales.... |
#73 |
| 2009 | Billboard Top Rock Albums | #25 |
| 2009 | Billboard Top Internet Albums | #14 |
| 2009 | Billboard Top Independent Albums | #8 |
| 2009 | Billboard Top Digital Albums | #14 |
| 2009 | Billboard Top Christian Albums | #3 |