Ten Years Ago: Fionn Regan - Shadow of an Empire

In the Ten Years Ago series, we take a look back at the ten most brilliant releases of 2010 which are celebrating their first decade this year. Next up is the surprising rock and roll riot from Irish singer songwriter Fionn Regan on ‘Shadow of an Empire’.

A revered singer songwriter puts down his acoustic guitar and goes electric risking alienating fans of his well crafted acoustic ballads. Sound familiar? No it’s not Dylan in the mid-sixties but Fionn Regan in 2010.

Regan had received swathes of critical acclaim for his Mercury Music Prize nominated debut album ‘The End of History’ in 2006. The album paid homage to the hushed vocals and sweet finger picked guitars of Nick Drake and John Martyn, whilst drawing from more contemporary influences to create a distinctive sound. The easy thing to do for Regan would have been to take some time and craft an evolved version of similarly sounding material. But the easy road was dismissed and instead ‘The Shadow of an Empire’ found him putting his acoustic guitar back in its case and plugging in an electric.

The risk paid off. His sophomore album is a riot of frenzied rattling rock and roll that barely pauses for breath. It is the perfect backdrop to frame his Dylan-esquires narratives and, though the influence of Bob reigns throughout, it is channeled into Regan’s own ragged trouser style.

Launching off with the cascading riff of ‘Protection Racket’, the record hits the ground running. The opener is a highly enjoyable number with a great chorus. ‘Catacombs’ is a slightly more meditative reflection on marital discontent, whilst the ominous jagged guitars throughout ‘Coat Hook’ powers the verses into a passionate chorus. ‘House Detective’ is the most overtly Dylan-esque track on the record with a heady combination of stream of consciousness lyrics and wailing guitars. Goodbye acoustic ballads. Hello riotous rock and roll.

The record continues full steam ahead until a slight pause of breath in the opening bars of ‘Violent Demeanour’. The weary reflective lyrics and plucked acoustic guitars are more reminiscent of his earlier work although the song builds to a much greater sense of urgency than anything found on his debut. The delicate ballads ‘Lines Written in Winter’ and the harmonica of infused ‘Little Nancy’ will also appeal to fans of his debut.

The record closes with something even more distinctive - a piano led ballad that places Regan’s weary and contemplative vocal front and center to stunning effect. The title track is neither rock and roll, nor acoustic meditation, but something else entirely.

Fionn Regan would go on to release a whole series of well received records that, for the most part, found him returning to his acoustic leaning roots but this foray into rattling rock and roll has stood the test of time and was a successful experiment in sound.