Fionn Regan - The Shadow of an Empire

Morzadec

So finally Fionn Regan's new album has come out! Just listening to it here. He's 'gone electric' although that's no surprise to me as the last couple of gigs I had been to he was playing his new material that is mainly electric with a full band.

So it's pretty different from The End of History (which was probably in my top 3 albums of last decade), and some people may not like the full band sound as much. But it's still very, very good on first listen anyway (although I recognise almost all the songs) in my opinion.

Any else had a chance to listen to it yet?

Seren_

Haven't heard the full album yet, but I've heard a few songs off it. What I've heard was alright, not overly gone on any of the songs though. The album as a whole will hopefully be better

I absolutely LOVED The End Of History, so I was expecting his second album to be a bit of a let down after that anyway!

deisedude

I havent got it yet but i have heard most of the songs on the Dave Fanning show and i'm very impressed.

Ok maybe some people will be disappointed that he didn't just rehash "the end of history" but i still think the new songs are quality

lordgoat

Does nothing for me. It's just bland in my opinion.

Morzadec

lordgoat wrote: »

Does nothing for me. It's just bland in my opinion.

Did you like The End of History, or just not a Fionn fan in general?

Had a fair few listens by this stage, think it's a quality album but would agree that it doesn't quite blow me away in the same way the first album did (expectations were very high though). Part of me thinks it would've been good if he had written more material in that style, but I agree that it took some balls to move onto a new sound.

Favourite song at the moment is probably 'Lord Help My Poor Soul'.

All in all, it won't go down as as good as an album as End of History I feel, but still I'm far from disappointed with it

lordgoat

Morzadec wrote: »

Did you like The End of History, or just not a Fionn fan in general?

Had a fair few listens by this stage, think it's a quality album but would agree that it doesn't quite blow me away in the same way the first album did (expectations were very high though). Part of me thinks it would've been good if he had written more material in that style, but I agree that it took some balls to move onto a new sound.

Favourite song at the moment is probably 'Lord Help My Poor Soul'.

All in all, it won't go down as as good as an album as End of History I feel, but still I'm far from disappointed with it

Not a fan of his at all after this, thought the first album was singer songwriter by numbers and this is just dylan only nowhere near as good. And yes the Dylan reference is eaay to make but it's so obvious...
For me he just doesn't do it.

Morzadec

lordgoat wrote: »

Not a fan of his at all after this, thought the first album was singer songwriter by numbers and this is just dylan only nowhere near as good. And yes the Dylan reference is eaay to make but it's so obvious...
For me he just doesn't do it.

The Dylan influence is pretty obvious yeah that's a fair point to make. You can definitely hear the influence although I think he has his own twist on it.

As for the first album being singer-songwriter by numbers I really couldn't disagree more. He's far more technically gifted than your average singer-songwriter and as a songwriter in far superior also (in my opinion). Second point is obviously subjective but his guitar playing alone (in terms of both ability and inventiveness) on the some of the tracks is surely enough to show that he is more than singer-songwriter by numbers.

loyatemu

Morzadec wrote: »

The Dylan influence is pretty obvious yeah that's a fair point to make. You can definitely hear the influence although I think he has his own twist on it.

As for the first album being singer-songwriter by numbers I really couldn't disagree more. He's far more technically gifted than your average singer-songwriter and as a songwriter in far superior also (in my opinion). Second point is obviously subjective but his guitar playing alone (in terms of both ability and inventiveness) on the some of the tracks is surely enough to show that he is more than singer-songwriter by numbers.

I'd agree with most of this - I'm no big fan of the irish singer-songwriter movement and can't stand Damien Rice, but FR's debut really grabbed me - its impressively sparse, great playing and good songwriting. On the other hand, if this all doesn't work out, he could definitely make a living as a Dylan tribute.

lordgoat

loyatemu wrote: »

I'd agree with most of this - I'm no big fan of the irish singer-songwriter movement and can't stand Damien Rice, but FR's debut really grabbed me - its impressively sparse, great playing and good songwriting. On the other hand, if this all doesn't work out, he could definitely make a living as a Dylan tribute.

See for me when i think good singer songwriters i think - elliott smith, nick drake and if you want a modern one bon iver. You mention sparse which i think is a great word and it workds well on For emma by bon Iver, however i just don't see that when i hear 'put the penny in the slot' etc. I do accept that it is unfair to comapre newer artists to very well established ones but i found both records overly polished tbh. But as ever each to their own and i say fair play to anyone able to make a good living from their music. Tis the dream.

deisedude

When is the album being released in America does anyone know?

Morzadec

Yeah I respect your opinion he obviously doesn't do it for you. I'm a huge fan of Bon Iver and Nick Drake (Elliot Smith I havn't quite got into yet) by the way.

I've never heard the phrase 'singer-songwriter by numbers' been used before but I actually think it's a great term to describe many of the singer-songwriters around today. And that was one of the biggest reasons I loved End of History because I felt it was definitely NOT like many of the other songwriter albums and had something special/different to it both lyrically and musically. 'Singersongwriter by numbers' to me suggests someone that strums out the 7 or 8 basic chords on guitar and sings about how they miss their girl or whatever in a very overt uncomplicated way. To be honest I quite like a lot of Damien Rice and Glen Hansard's stuff from 'Once' but if one was to say they were 'singer songwriter by numbers' I could definitely see where they were coming from.

To be honest I think Put a Penny in the Slot is perhaps slightly overrated. Have you listened to tracks such as 'Snowy Atlas Mountains', 'Hunters Map' or Underwood Typewriter'? Hunters Map for instance uses a tuning (DADF#BE) that I've never come across before, not even in Nick Drake's huge repetoire of tunings! This alone shows to me that he is trying to do something different and the majority of singer-songwriters would struggle to even play his songs, let alone come up with them. For me Underwood Typewriter is the standout tune on the album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D734tJJwIFU&feature=related

Hunters Map is brillant as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwh_-0ZS8QM&NR=1

(Sorry tried and failed to embed!)

If you havn't given these songa a listen give them a try because I think they might change your mind slightly. And if you have well then maybe give them one more chance! And if you still think it's bland then fair enough each to his own, but it seems that you have a similar enough taste in music to me so I would have thought you would love End of History.

pauliewallie

I think the new album is quality. The songwriting is easily as good as the last album and the new direction is really good IMO and will liven up his gigs even more. The Dylan comparison is true but Regan absorbes it rather than copies it. No harm at all I say, if your gonna wear an influence on your sleeve then best be the greatest songwriter of any generation.

pauliewallie

Fav song on it (so far) ... the final track 'shadow of an empire' .... beautiful!

Morzadec

pauliewallie wrote: »

Fav song on it (so far) ... the final track 'shadow of an empire' .... beautiful!

Yeah really nice song and very different to the rest of the album. Nice to hear him on the piano! Think it's the best lyrically certainly, really like this track

deisedude

Dave Fanning did an interview with Fionn Regan today. You can find the show at http://2fm.rte.ie/fanning

Spiritoftheseventies

album references Bob dylan and Happy mondays from what i can make out. But good stuff all the same

Theresalwaysone

End of History a much better album but this one is still very good. I agree with whoever said Shadow of an Empire is their fav song.

Didnt Damien Rice say he could only wish he could write songs as good as Regan. High praise imo.

MajorThom

Really struggling to get into this album unfortunetly which is a pity cos Im a huge fan of 'The End of History'. Got tickets to see him at 'Cork School of Music' on the 7th March so I hope it grows on me before then! I shan't give up the chase just yet tho...

Audacious

I find that his nasally Dylan inflexions make the album. Cant go wrong with a bitta Bob really. Very Positively Fourth Street.

Probablythere

He really is following the path of Dylan's career. Especially with going electric, still sounds fantastic though Doubt anyone will calm him "Judas" for going electric

mada999

just bought it today....so far like the first two songs.... my brother hates it though"

Fabo

his second album is not bad at all. the guy is at least trying to write tunes. his first album wasnt great.

damien rice - all i hear are tuneless songs with no musical quality at all. sad state of affairs if he passes for greatness.

palethinboy

Fabo wrote: »

his second album is not bad at all. the guy is at least trying to write tunes. his first album wasnt great.

damien rice - all i hear are tuneless songs with no musical quality at all. sad state of affairs if he passes for greatness.

Mr. Rices first album is a classic. Regan gets nowhere near this. Having said that Damian Rice has done **** all worth mentioning since

Colm!

I like this album. It's better than End of History in parts. Worse in others though.

Placid_Casual

I thought The End of History was a great album and this falls a bit short for me. Still a decent album but I feel the "band" sound has edged him slightly towards the middle of the road. Also, it feels nowhere near as intimate as the first album.

I notice he's playing in The Workmen's Club on the quays in Dublin. Wonder if this is a good spot for a gig?

Nolanger

Got it for a fiver and it was a waste of money. Sounds like Northern Irish band The basement?

cerebis

Jaysus for a fiver it's worth a punt!

deisedude

What do people make of his new album "100 acres of sycamore". I'm really liking it, very much more like the The End of History

Morzadec

Haven't had a chance to buy it or listen to it yet, with the exception of the title track which I listened to on Youtube a couple of times. Liked the sound of it, and the strings could add an extra something. Read a few reviews which all seemed positive without going overboard on praise.

Reminiscent of Nick Drake (Five Leaves Left) with the combination of the arrangement of strings and acoustic guitar. It's funny, with the guitar tunings he uses for his acoustic stuff and his sound in general a lot of people often compare him to Drake and I can see why. But I remember him playing a free gig in Trinity once and doing a Q and A afterwards and I asked him about the influence of Nick Drake on his music and he brushed it off, saying he didn't see him as a big influence at all.

pauliewallie

deisedude wrote: »

What do people make of his new album "100 acres of sycamore". I'm really liking it, very much more like the The End of History

I think it is a really good album. I've listened to it now maybe 6 times and it does take that for some of the songs to reveal themselves. Other songs like 'For a Nightingale' are very instant, almost radio friendly, which is unlike the majority of his other output. 'List of Distractions' guitar picking is not unlike 'Be good or be gone'. The album as a whole is much closer to his first. The acoustic guitar sounds great and the lyrics always intelligent and engaging. The addition of strings and piano, give the album its identity. 'Vodka Sorrow', as 'Shadow of an Empire' did on the last album, demonstrates his growing strength as a piano songwriter.
As a lyricist I think Regan is peerless in Ireland. I loved the direction of his second album and hope he goes back that way again but this album has lots to offer his fans and even new listeners, if not exactly breaking new ground for him.