Track Listing

1. Be Good Or Be Gone
2. Underwood Typewriter
3. Hunter's Map
4. Hey Rabbit
5. Black Water Child
6. Put A Penny In The Slot
7. Cowshed
8. Snowy Atlas Mountains
9. Noah (Ghost In A Sheet)
10. End Of History
11. Abacus
12. Bunker Or Basement

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48730 in Music
• Released on: 2006-08-07
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition

Amazon.co.uk Review
From the delicate and deceptively intricate "Be Good or Be Gone" that inaugurates Fionn Regan’s debut album, The End of History, it’s apparent that his is a talent not to be ignored. Recalling any number of folkish predecessors--Bob Dylan, Jose Gonzalez, Nick Drake--Regan’s finger-picked guitar work and warm, Damien Rice-esque vocals flow through this entire project like meandering, golden streams. Mixing winsome melodies with emotive chords and quasi-poetic lyricism, Regan straddles the classic folk sound of the 60s and the contemporary neo-folk scene with bristling aplomb. Unlike many so called ‘new folk’ heroes though, Regan keeps his approach simple, varying his songs not with electronic beats or acidic guitar squalls but light embellishments such as brooding strings (see the dark, Gonzalez-esque "Hunter's Map") and subtle backing vocals (see "Black Water Child"). Though skeletal, Regan’s songs create a dreamy, nostalgic ambience that successfully eschew cliché. Intimate and contemporary, universal and classic, The End of History is a triumphant and highly accessible first outing. --Paul Sullivan

CD Description
Debut album from young Irish folk singer-songwriter. Regan's mysterious, poetic lyrics, languid melodies, accomplished musicianship and warm, homespun production style - he playedand produced everything on the album himself - have alreadyseen him compared to Nick Drake and Bob Dylan and earned him a US deal with Lost Highway (home of Ryan Adams). Understated and slow-burning but ultimately rewarding, the album hasbecome a critical favourite and includes the single 'Be Good Or Be Gone'.

Customer Reviews

Great Debut From Irish Singer/Songwriter
Lately, I've become increasingly jaded by going to local acoustic nights and seeing semi-talentless people play cover versions of already terrible songs. That's almost a good analysis of the singer/songwriter genre, if we can call it that, because there are a lot of people doing the same thing. So it's nice to find someone like Fionn Regan who not only doesnt concentrate on dour love subject matter so rife with his contemporaries but combines upbeat and thoughtful lyrics with some quite exceptional guitar work.

Album opener 'Be Good Or Be Gone' almost feels like an entire lifetime of thoughts squeezed into one song, centered around gorgeous plucking and melody. Following this is 'The Underwood Typewriter', with some very impressive guitar playing, upbeat proclamations of "The roots shoot deep below the ground, I like to walk with you in the evening" topped off by a beautiful chorus accompanied by a cello. And for the most part, that tends to be the basic plan behind 'The End Of History'; great melodic folk guitar playing with modern selfless lyrics. It's more than enough to satisfy those with a penchant for acoustic troubadours, quirky songwriters or even just decent musical chops.

'The End Of History' stands out in an overpopulated genre as an album full of honesty, integrity, soul and a bit of identity, and that's only a good thing for us because there are surely good things to come from this very promising songwriter.

One of the best artists in Ireland finally gets his album released!
A lot of people have been waiting for this to come out and I've definately been one of them. Fionn Regan has had a strong following since the release of his first single way back in the beginning of the 21st century (sounds like something from Buck Rogers). After a further three EP's his debut player arrives and it is a treasure to behold.

Unlike say Jim Noir, who practically used all of the tracks from his first EP's, Fionn has taken songs from the previous releases but had a go at trying them differently as well as brand new ones. At first it is uncomfortable to hear the likes of 'Abacus', 'Noah: Ghost in the Sheet' and 'Hunter's Map' when you're so used to the originals but with further listens the texture and the additional instruments add something to them. You find yourself singing along despite the change of scenary and it's the strength of the songs and indeed Fionn's voice itself that carry them.

His ability with a guitar and the intimacy of the atmosphere each songs creates is captivating. He will get compared to the likes of Damien Rice and Nick Drake but it doesn't take anything away from what he's created, and that is an excellent debut album.

An incredible talent to be watched
I bought this album after briefly catching "be good or be gone" on the radio. Little did I know then the treat that I had in store for me. This intimate, beautiful and haunting exploration grows on me with each new hearing in a way few other albums ever have. The deep poetry of the lyrics, the superb melodies and arrangements combine to create a tour de force among the new wave of folk singers. I really look forward to Fionn's next release.

I even went so far as to listen to his album on my iPod while walking through Knocksink woods! But, unfortunately, I didn't come across three men selling candles wrapped in newspaper. Good luck in the Mercurys, Fionn!