The End of History [Vinyl]

Fionn Regan | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (July 10, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Lost Highway
• ASIN: B000R7G622
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,103 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Be Good or Be Gone

2. The Underwood Typewriter

3. Hunters Map

4. Hey Rabbit

5. Black Water Child

6. Put a Penny in the Slot

7. The Cowshed

8. Snowy Atlas Mountains

9. Noah (Ghost in a Sheet)

10. The End of History

11. Abacus

12. Bunker or Basement

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Imagine a whimsical, sunnier Nick Drake. Or perhaps a young Donovan for the 21st century. With his lithe, limber, and conversational tenor complemented by the subtle virtuosity of his acoustic guitar, the Dublin troubadour sustains an engaging intimacy even when his material seems on the slight side (more precocious than profound). Though his childlike innocence extends to the hand-lettered lyrics in the CD booklet, he invokes the literary influence of Saul Bellow and Paul Auster on "Put a Penny in the Slot." Much of this self-produced release finds Regan playing solo (often with double-tracked harmonies), with the spare employment of strings, piano, and percussion making their use all the more striking. An unlisted bonus cut seems to channel the range of Jeff Buckley. --Don McLeese --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Description

The community of musicians can be divided into two categories -- those who want to create and those who do so because they have no other choice. As he proves on his dauntingly mature, intriguingly nuanced Lost Highway debut, The End of History, singer-songwriter Fionn Regan clearly falls into the decidedly rarefied latter category.

The soft-spoken 26-year-old coaxes an intoxicating array of emotion and detail into his fragile-yet-gripping songs -- a body of work that's already elicited comparisons to forebears as varied as Nick Drake for his guitar playing and to Woody Guthrie for his wordplay. It's easy to understand why, given the filigreed acoustic finger-picking and raw lyrical stance of songs like the cinematic "Be Good or Be Gone" the menacing "Snowy Atlas Mountains" or the allegorical "Hey Rabbit" with its social conscience, songs that paint intensely vivid pictures -- so vivid, in fact, that Regan hesitates to elaborate as to their deeper origins.

He keeps the frills to a minimum on the dozen-song collection, getting his point across with little more than voice, acoustic guitar and piano (most of The End of History's songs were captured in one or two takes) he never gives the idea that he's practicing minimalism for its own sake. That comes into particularly sharp focus when one hones in on his guitar playing, a beguiling brew of rhythmically sturdy finger-picking (the backbone of "Hunters Map") and (as on the twinkling "Abacus"), lissome passages in which every note resonates with crystalline clarity. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars send out a battalion...., August 1, 2007

By 

Sam J. Ritchey (chicago, il) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: End of History (Audio CD)

inches away from a live fionn regan, mop coiffed and cobbled in white patent leather, playing for about 100 people at schubas in chicago it dawned on me that i would never enjoy such a seat again...

if you like damien rice, blah blah blahhhhh...stop it. fionn regan is not damien rice. just in case that weren't clear, fionn has attached his initials in various species of tape to the wares he carries on stage, including three guitars, guitar case and hanky.

not that fionn doesn't beat his breast and tear his hair in his own irish way. he runs laps in the rainy day, sexually charged melancholia of mr. rice, but doesn't stay there for long. instead of a cynical and almost fatalistic anger, fionn emerges far more intact...he invites you into a bittersweet wanderlust and you want to join him ever so badly. in the end, this is the currency of young heartbreak--romantic or otherwise. he delivers, if not innovation, a stiff upper lipped laugh into the night that makes me want to laugh too, hardscrabble days be damned.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars perfect, September 19, 2007

By 

R. KANE (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: End of History (Audio CD)

This album is so perfect that it's devastating. Every song is so emotionally affecting that it's like there's something primal about his songwriting that I can't even explain. I adore all of the songs but my favorite is Snowy Atlas Mountains. When I first listened to it, it reminded me of something that I couldn't even place. I played it for a friend and she had the same response, it's almost transportational. Really, I like this album and so should you.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant, simple Folk, August 28, 2006

A Kid's Review

Quite frankly, I'm surprised that no one has reviewed this brilliant Gem. Well, it may be due to the fact that you have to import. But it's WORTH it!

This album is filled to the brim with gorgeous -- yet simple-- guitar work, with the occasional drum/piano piece. It also helps that Fionn's vocals are beautiful yet somewhat exotic (he IS irish after all,) and pleasant to the ears.

The lyrics are relatively clever, and surprisngly deep in some parts.

now to review each track individually~

1) Be Good Or Be Gone - a great, acoustic piece. This may be my favorite track.

2) The Underwood Typewriter - Another great song. Somewhat light, which is a nice contrast against the next song,

3) Hunters Map - Somewhat dark. This is the first time you'll hear some drum (and it's placed in such a brilliant place, allowing a sort of musical breath inbetween lyrics.) Another great song.

4) Hey Rabbit- I didn't really like this song on first, but it grew on me. But after a few listens, I understood the lyrics. Clever!

5) Blackwater Child- This song is very catchy. His voice is accompanied by another (though, i can't place who it is,) but the slight backup sounds great.

6) Put A Penny In The Slot - This is the song that made me like Fionn Regan. The nice lyrics, with the simple, light guitar made me smile.

7) The Cowshed - starts off kind of dark and slow, with a base drum (i think) and slowly picks up speed. Slowly. It never goes past a certain speed, so this is a nice slower track.

8) Snowy Atlas Mountains - This song is about lonliness. This song has the most "effects" in my opinion, with various noises throughout the song.

9) Noah (Ghost In A Sheet) - This song is great! The whole sound is great, and his voice just sounds amazing. Which is a standard for this whole album

10) The End Of History - This is my least favorite song. Mainly because it just seems to DRAG on forever...when it really doesn't. That's reserved for the final track.

11) Abacus - This is another one of the songs that made me like Fionn Regan's work. I heard the EP version first, and this sounds relatively close to it.

12) This is the longest track. It's good, but it DOES NOT want to end. Not that it's bad. The song (singing) ends relatively early, but we're left with a piercing Piano with Fionn's guitarwork for about 6 minutes after.

This is an EXCELLENT album for any fan of Acoustic/Folk music in general. Import it!