ARTiST: Fionn Regan
ALBUM: The Shadow Of An Empire
BiTRATE: 173kbps avg
QUALiTY: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.97 Final / -V2 --vbr-new / 44.100Khz
LABEL: Heavenly
GENRE: Rock
SiZE: 45.36 megs
PLAYTiME: 0h 34min 53sec total
RiP DATE: 2010-02-23
STORE DATE: 2010-02-19
Track List:
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01. Protection Racket 2:39
02. Catacombs 3:25
03. Coat Hook 2:19
04. Genocide Matinee 3:52
05. Violent Demeanour 3:31
06. Lines Written In Winter 3:57
07. House Detective 3:06
08. Little Nancy 3:16
09. Lord Help My Poor Soul 4:44
10. The Shadow Of An Empire 4:04
Release Notes:
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The press release suggests a shift in the Earth: Fionn Regan's plugged in his
guitar and notched up the attitude. But hold on to your shaking heads and save
the Bob Dylan comparisons, for The Shadow Of An Empire keeps the Irish
singer-songwriter closer to his folk beginnings than the pre-boom buzz might
have you believe.
Lead single Protection Racket was an eye-opener, pledging allegiance to a
barn-storming, punch-up and get-dancing spirit. To announce it a good four
months before Regan's second album came by in its full form seemed - at the time
- to be a means of warning the fans whose hearts were stolen by Regan's Mercury
nominated debut, The End Of History, that this was going to be a completely
different ride.
And to some extent, those warded away by October's giveaway download will be
left equally dumbfounded by the likes of Genocide Matinee (musically citing
Johnny Cash's early days) and Coat Hook (a perfectly structured
two-and-a-half-minutes of modern day rock 'n' roll).
But somehow Regan maintains the charm that seeped into his more delicate debut,
a debut which is as equally honoured as this new direction is; Catacombs doesn't
completely replace a strum with a pluck, but vocals are uniquely untamed and
loose, just as they were in 2006's Put A Penny In The Slot and Hey Rabbit.
But Lines Written In Writer and Lord Help My Poor Soul see the songwriter at an
emotional low; the former admitting "I want to tell you that I'd make your bed,
break it up and I'd do it again, so it feels like you've been here, but I know
that you're not, coming home". It almost seems as if this crusade of
hard-knuckle rock music of which Regan's become swept away in is a gimmick to
help him keep a distance from real emotions.
Lines Written In Winter arrives at a crucial time as a perfect example of
acoustic songwriting, squeezed between the muscular House Detective and Violent
Demeanour, and it's pretty much the only occasion where the lyricist exposes
himself through first person.
Reciting music milestones that few records dare to, Regan somehow manages to
keep his head, continuing to write well developed melodies and striking lyrics.
He remains a formidable wordsmith, and a fast mover by the looks of things.
However his career develops, it will be crucial for him to keep a tight hold of
the bewitching elements that help make not just his debut, but also his latest,
a refreshing listen.