BELLACD119
Release Date: 7 August 2006
Fionn Regan was born in Dublin but now lives in Brighton, and his debut album evokes the best of both cities. Seaside imagery and Celtic romance flood each impressive acoustic rhythm, the cosy folk fighting off a chilly cynicism. The usual suspects influence Regan's style - there are the lilting high notes of Damien Rice, the scathing tone of Bob Dylan and the literate lyricism of Nick Drake - but the frozen heart and warm touch belong to Regan alone. "Step out of your dress and I'll wear you like a hood," he sings in The Underwood Typewriter. Hey Rabbit has the twisted naivety of Alice in Wonderland, while an acoustic guitar chases an excitable piano melody in Bunker or Basement. Woven through the wonder is Regan's gorgeous, easy voice, as spellbinding as anything his imagination can conjure up. Folk has a new Pied Piper.
- Betty Clarke, The Guardian (2006)