Fionn Regan | ||
| Allmusic Biography : In Great Britain, Fionn Regan was signed to Bella Union, an atmospheric dream pop label owned by former Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde and home to acts like Robin Guthries ultra-atmospheric Violet Indiana. In the United States, Fionn Regan was signed to Lost Highway, an alternative country and roots rock imprint thats home to Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, and Tift Merritt. The impressive thing is that the engaging singer and songwriter is a perfect fit for both labels. Born and raised in the coastal city of Bray, Ireland, Regan absorbed folk and blues influences alongside the usual rock & roll (in interviews, he has claimed inspiration ranging from Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie to the Velvet Underground and Nirvana) due to his artistic familys bohemian existence living and working at a seaside resort hotel. Picking up piano, violin, and guitar at an early age from his musician father, Regan was performing in public before he reached his tenth birthday and busking across the country by his mid-teens. Resettling in Brighton, England, Regan signed with the small indie Anvil Records and released two EPs, 2003s Reservoir and 2004s Hotel Room, before connecting with the more established Bella Union imprint. In search of a live, natural sound, Regan recorded his debut album, The End of History, largely in an abandoned stone barn. The album was released in Great Britain in the summer of 2006, garnering considerable praise and regular comparisons to both Damien Rice and Nick Drake, as well as two hit singles in "Put a Penny in the Slot" and "Be Good or Be Gone." Lost Highway scheduled the American release of The End of History for summer 2007. Regan set about recording a follow up in 2008 for the label Lost Highway, but upon its completion they refused to release it. The record, often referred to as The Red Tapes, never saw an official release. Regan chose to retreat to Ireland to record his next record without the involvement of a label. The Shadow of an Empire was eventually released in 2010 via Heavenly Recordings and was warmly received by the music press. 2011 and 2012 saw the release of two further records 100 Acres of Sycamore and the Bunkhouse, Vol. 1: Anchor Black Tattoo. Following this prolific period, it would be nearly five years before Regan would release a new album. The Meetings of the Waters eventually arrived in 2017, and was preceded by the release of the lead single and title track accompanied by a Cillian Murphy-starring video. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 5 Title: The End of History Released: 2006-08-07 Tracks: 12 Duration: 49:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Be Good or Be Gone (03:19) 2 The Underwood Typewriter (03:02) 3 Hunters Map (03:08) 4 Hey Rabbit (03:32) 5 Black Water Child (03:00) 6 Put a Penny in the Slot (04:02) 7 The Cowshed (03:31) 8 Snowy Atlas Mountains (04:14) 9 Noah (Ghost in a Sheet) (03:40) 10 The End of History (04:39) 11 Abacus (02:35) 12 Bunker or Basement (10:51) |
| The End of History : Allmusic album Review : The debut album by Irish-born, British-based singer/songwriter Fionn Regan was first released in the U.K. by ex-Cocteau Twins bassist Simon Raymondes dream pop imprint Bella Union, before being picked up for U.S. distribution by the rootsy alt-country label Lost Highway. Impressively, its a good fit for both labels. Regan keeps one foot in the singer/songwriter tradition -- comparisons to Damien Rice and Nick Drake are ubiquitous in his reviews, and for good reason -- but Regans interest in specific soundscapes for their emotional resonances is a subtle but important philosophical link to the Cocteau Twins sound for sounds sake aesthetic. Regan recorded the majority of The End of History in a disused stone barn, live to a portable recorder. The natural reverb adds warmth to these often skeletal songs, most with little more accompaniment than Regans acoustic guitar and practically whispered vocals. The sense of intimacy thus engendered adds weight to songs that might have otherwise seemed ethereally light, but at his best, Regan proves himself an immensely skilled songwriter. "I have become an aerial view of a coastal town that you once knew" is a startlingly apt image in the lovely lost-love lament "Be Good or Be Gone," and Regans debut single "Put a Penny in the Slot" is an instant classic ranking with such wry slices of U.K. folk-rock as Lloyd Cole and the Commotions "Perfect Skin" (right down to Regans echoing of Coles trademark habit of dropping authors names in his lyrics, Paul Auster and Saul Bellow in this case) and any number of Richard Thompsons romantic character studies. The End of History suggests that a major talent may be brewing here. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 5 Title: The Shadow of an Empire Released: 2010-02-08 Tracks: 10 Duration: 34:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Protection Racket (02:39) 2 Catacombs (03:25) 3 Coat Hook (02:19) 4 Genocide Matinee (03:52) 5 Violent Demeanour (03:31) 6 Lines Written in Winter (03:57) 7 House Detective (03:05) 8 Little Nancy (03:16) 9 Lord Help My Poor Soul (04:44) 10 The Shadow of an Empire (04:04) |
 | Album: 3 of 5 Title: 100 Acres of Sycamore Released: 2011-08-08 Tracks: 12 Duration: 47:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 100 Acres of Sycamore (05:35) 2 Sow Mare Bitch Vixen (03:45) 3 The Horses Are Asleep (04:38) 4 The Lake District (05:36) 5 Dogwood Blossom (03:24) 6 For a Nightingale (03:43) 7 List of Distractions (03:31) 8 1st Day of May (02:26) 9 North Star Lover (05:20) 10 Woodberry Cemetery (01:43) 11 Vodka Sorrow (06:04) 12 Golden Light (01:35) |
| 100 Acres of Sycamore : Allmusic album Review : Perhaps burned by the "Dylan goes electric" response to his plugged-in sophomore outing, The Shadow of an Empire, Irish troubadour Fionn Regan reverts back to the wistful acoustic folk sound that earned him a Mercury Music Prize nomination for his 2007 debut, The End of History. Written during a stay at Pushing Daisies actress Anna Friels holiday home on the Spanish island of Majorca, 100 Acres of Sycamore reflects its highly relaxed conception, as Regans hushed tones, which sometimes barely amount to a whisper, glide over 12 tracks delicately filled with warm acoustics, lilting piano chords, and for the first time in his career, layers of strings, whether its the gently plucked pizzicatos of the brooding title track, the luscious orchestral arrangements on the gently shuffling "The Horses Are Asleep," or the haunting violins of the gorgeous Jeff Buckley-esque closing number, "Golden Light." The sun-kissed surroundings also appear to have influenced Regans state of mind, as other than the suitably titled melancholy of "Vodka Sorrow" and the heartbreaking tale of loneliness "Dogwood Blossom," the downbeat nature of its predecessor has been replaced by a more introspective and optimistic lyrical stance, as evident on the whimsical "Sow Mare Bitch Vixen," the heartfelt "For a Nightingale" ("I love you and I always will"), and the reflective echo-laden "Woodberry Cemetery." But having startled everyone with the amped-up sound of his last effort, Regan appears to have overcompensated this time round, as the never-ending stream of intimate stripped-back arrangements occasionally begins to merge into one pleasant but ultimately repetitive ballad. But while its sometimes a little too understated for its own good, 100 Acres of Sycamore is a never less than a charming and emotive U-turn suggesting that Regan now realizes where his talents lie. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 5 Title: The Bunkhouse Vol. 1: Anchor Black Tattoo Released: 2012-09-07 Tracks: 10 Duration: 25:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 St. Anthonys Fire (02:37) 2 67 Blackout (02:34) 3 Clara To Calary (02:33) 4 Anchor Black Tattoo (01:46) 5 Mizen To Malin (02:46) 6 The Gouldings (03:20) 7 Salt & Cloves (02:49) 8 The Bunkhouse (02:40) 9 Midnight Ferry Crossing (02:03) 10 Moving To Berlin (02:25) |
 | Album: 5 of 5 Title: The Meetings of the Waters Released: 2017-04-14 Tracks: 11 Duration: 41:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Meetings of the Waters (05:00) 2 Cormorant Bird (03:27) 3 Turn the Skies of Blue On (02:09) 4 Cape of Diamonds (03:54) 5 Book of the Moon (02:07) 6 Babushka-Yai Ya (01:43) 7 Ai (01:02) 8 Wall of Silver (02:18) 9 Euphoria (03:39) 10 Up into the Rafters (03:37) 11 Tsuneni Ai (12:05) |