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Product Description
Review
You could be forgiven for missing Fionn Regan's third long-player in the release schedules. Unlike his previous set, 2010's The Shadow of an Empire, this arrives with relatively little fanfare, a result of the Bray-born singer's retreat from the mainstream five years on from his Mercury-nominated debut, The End of History. Said disc was an understated delight, but its follow-up favoured amplification over introspection, and its troubled gestation produced an underwhelming collection. But 100 Acres of Sycamore finds Regan returning to the acoustic prettiness of his first album, embellishments restricted to gently swelling strings rather than distracting bombast.
Regan's focus has shifted - where he previously looked out onto the world from a lofty position in the indie-folk world, today he's back in the margins that once held him so dearly. And he's comfortable here, operating at a commercial level below that of fellow Mercury nominee (and Brit-winner) Laura Marling, and thus able to write without the pressure that those in the spotlight have to endure. 100 Acres of Sycamore is an unhurried set that makes its point lightly, without bluster. Recorded overseas, in a Spanish villa owned by the actress Anna Friel, it's full of a wistfulness that perhaps wouldn't have manifested had this been produced in more familiar surroundings. The speed of its capture - straight to tape in just seven days - results in a freshness that evokes Regan's fine EPs for the Anvil label, Reservoir and Hotel Room. This is the sound of an artist returning to his roots in the right way - for personal gratification rather than commercial gain.
Such is the intimacy throughout this album - though the strings are full, they never overpower the simple set-up of reflective lyrics and strummed guitar - that one feels a direct connection with the artist, on an individual-to-individual level. Regan was singing for himself, honest and sincere, when recording these tracks; and with his voice in a pair of headphones, the listener is transported to the Majorcan residence the Irishman found so conducive to crafting album three. It's a fine body of work, the kind of album that doesn't benefit from having highlights lifted from it. True, there are songs that beguile with the sort of laidback beauty that so few indie-folk performers are capable of producing - 1st Day of May, lead single For a Nightingale, the echo-soaked (and over-too-soon) closer Golden Light (imagine Bradford Cox going country) - but this is a collection best heard as the artist intended: in the order presented, without compromise. That warmth you're feeling come its close, try to hold onto it. It's a contentment few albums leave you with.
--Mike Diver
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I listened to this album a few times through, and I must say, my initial reactions mirrored that of the previous reviewer. After about track 6 it started to wash over me. This wasn't necessarily a reflection of the latter songs, merely an indication of the pace and tone of the album. So I listened to the tracks in isolation. Each track, bar one, has its own unique charm, and in fact, this album is drenched in quality: The incredible lyrics on 'The Lake District'; the bouncy romance of 'For A Nightingale'; the beautiful harmonies on 'North Star Lover'; the melancholy of 'List of Distractions'.
Fionn is clearly a gifted songwriter, and he's shown that in the quirky folk of the first album, the jangling rock'n'roll of the second, and the quiet reflective ambient folk of this album.
Clearly, it's not an album of perfection, for, as previously stated, the pace does not build and the songs tend to blend into one without a bit of effort to single out tracks. It is a grower of an album in that respect, but I'm not sure it will capture the imagination of anyone new to Fionn. It is 4 stars for this reason, but also because 'Vodka Sorrow' is a desperate song which does grate on you after about the 15th repetition of "vodka sorrow".
Cracking songs all the same.
Fionn is clearly a gifted songwriter, and he's shown that in the quirky folk of the first album, the jangling rock'n'roll of the second, and the quiet reflective ambient folk of this album.
Clearly, it's not an album of perfection, for, as previously stated, the pace does not build and the songs tend to blend into one without a bit of effort to single out tracks. It is a grower of an album in that respect, but I'm not sure it will capture the imagination of anyone new to Fionn. It is 4 stars for this reason, but also because 'Vodka Sorrow' is a desperate song which does grate on you after about the 15th repetition of "vodka sorrow".
Cracking songs all the same.
Format:Audio CD
I downloaded this after watching TIE88, & haven't been disappointed.
The music sounds familiar to me, as though maybe this guy was in a band previously and I was into him then, I don't know if this is true or not!
He sounds like Richard Hawley, who I LOVE.
Dogwood Blossom is the track from the show, and my current favourite.
The music sounds familiar to me, as though maybe this guy was in a band previously and I was into him then, I don't know if this is true or not!
He sounds like Richard Hawley, who I LOVE.
Dogwood Blossom is the track from the show, and my current favourite.
Format:Audio CD
I somehow missed this guy. Passed me by. But i guess i am not alone and it is not too late to get on board
Haunting songs with soul that demand listening. If you at a fan on Bon Iver but sometimes want something more uplifting try this. You will not be disappointed
Haunting songs with soul that demand listening. If you at a fan on Bon Iver but sometimes want something more uplifting try this. You will not be disappointed
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
new regan fan
JUST PICKED UP THIS CD ON A WHIM A FEW DAYS AGO.DEFINETLY WORTH A LITEN!
VERY RELAXING AND THOUGHTFUL.
GIVE IT A TRY.
G E R R Y.
VERY RELAXING AND THOUGHTFUL.
GIVE IT A TRY.
G E R R Y.
Published 8 months ago by G. M. Somers
Incredible.
This album is absolutely wonderful. I am a huge fan of Fionn's work, and if you aren't familiar, please do yourself the favor and check out this album. Read more
Published 9 months ago by iamelysse
Disappointing
I was hoping that this album would be a continuation on the previous two efforts but I am a disappointed. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Dave Bennett
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