It could be said that Irishman Fionn Regan’s music is delicate. It could also be said, and one wouldn’t be wrong in thinking so, that it’s strong, with mighty musicianship and luminescent lyrics. Listening to the twelve tracks on his debut album this dichotomy swirls around each and every number, from the indie strains of the title track to the folk-some “Abacus.”
There are immediate comparisons – Nick Drake, Alasdair Roberts – but Regan is in his own realm of melodies. “Black Water Child” is a peppy little number that reflects, perhaps, a summer’s day at a county fair, the scent of fresh popcorn intermingling with the smell of nearby cottonwoods. “Put a Penny in the Slot” is a stripped down, simple voice and thumbed guitar, reminiscent of an early Simon and Garfunkel number with literary references abounding (from Saul Bellow to Paul Auster).
“The Cowshed” starts off haunting and mysterious before growing into something Damien Rice would concoct with his musician friends on a rainy Thursday afternoon.
Released in the United Kingdom this past September, Lost Highway Records (home of Ryan Adams, Golden Smog, and Lucinda Williams among others) has taken the reins to showcase Regan’s young (he’s in his mid-20s) prodigious talents to the masses of America and with good results. With production by Regan and Simon Raymonde, formerly of the Cocteau Twins, the album is fluid and mesmerizing.
Dublin, where the songwriter was born, has a tradition of great music. Regan continues this with slow-burning melancholia that upon first listen sounds simply sweet and, well, simple. Listen again, and his smart lyrics come at you full bore. Listen a third time, and you’ll be hoping that The End of History is simply Regan’s start of a bright future in the music industry.
Copyrights
Jonathan Shipley. Fionn Regan. Copyright 2007 Venus Zine.
