The Shadow of an Empire

 

"Do you like dags?"

Sorry, I had to quote Snatch there, the guy's Irish.  Irish singer-songwriter Fionn Regan just recently released his follow-up album to his 2006 "The End of Histroy," which was nominated for a Mercury Prize.  Released on February 8th, 2010, Fionn Regan falls into a mess of genres, ranging from rock, alternative, indie, and singer-songwriter.  He received an overall Metacritic score of 82 and a BBC Music score of 80. 

Fionn Regan's new album is a lot of fun.  It starts with the very upbeat "Protection Racket," but he's not just some pop junkie.  He's true to his rock and alternative roots, while maintaining a sort of indie feel.  The one thing that really impresses me about him is that you can tell that he's passionate about what he's doing.  He takes pride in singing the lyrics, playing the guitar tabs, and just creating music overall.  His sound is very original, and I can't manage to really connect him firmly to anybody else.  A few of his songs are a bit reminiscent of Modest Mouse and some of the back beats (guitar and drums in particular) sound a bit like The Fratellis.  

Each song has its own individual flair to it and definitely stands out among the album as a whole.  However, each song isn't so diverse from the one that preceded it that it feels like there's absolutely no connection.  There are no awkward transitions between songs, in fact they all seem to lead into one each other seamlessly, mainly because of Regan's unique sound; that is the one thing that is present in each and every song.  "Genocide Matinee" and "Violent Demeanour" probably have the most radical jump within the album.  "Genocide Matinee" is fast paced and almost furious in its message, whereas "Violent Demeanour" is a more slow paced lamentation.  Although these songs are back to back and one notices a radical change in the pace of the album, Regan manages to make a smooth transition, his unique style and voice as the bridge. 

The album as a whole, if it really conveys anything is his passion for music and how much he wants to stand out from within the music community.  He does this successfully.  He's definitely something new and although he may sound like a lot of indie bands coming out of the wood works right now, he manages to intertwine alternative and rock, with his indie flair, to successfully stand out from the crowd.  Songs like "Lines Written in Winter" and "Lord Help My Poor Soul" really show an insight into the artist's passion for writing his own music and lyrics.  Songs like "Protection Racket" and "House Detective" really show how much fun Regan is having with his music; you can really tell he's doing something he cares about.  Overall, Regan has a really unique style, standing out from what's currently out there, but manages to not change it too radically and to mix genres that are relatively similar to one another.  If you're interested in trying something new that's fun to listen to and is a quick listen, I would definitely recommend this.  The Shadow of the Empire gets an 85 from me.

Take a listen here.