Album Review: Fionn Regan – The Shadow Of An Empire

The County Wicklow wordsmith turns the electro-acoustic up to 8 for his sophomore sessions.

With a first half that contains the more Dylan than Dylan opener Protection Racket, the anti-authoritarian garage-rock rant of Genocide Matinee and the brooding Mersey-beat of Violent Demeanour, it is clear that this certainly isn’t The End Of History Part 2. The Shadow Of An Empire is a rougher, more energetic affair when compared to the instantly accessible, lilting folk of his Mercury nominated debut. If The End Of History was a weather-beaten hike to a remote farmhouse to curl up, crestfallen, by the fire on the morning after, then The Shadow Of An Empire is the night before – a whisky and ale-fuelled barnstormer of a hoedown. But even so, it is still the slower numbers that provide the show stopping moments here. The romance riddled recollections of Little Nancy and the sweeping sentiments of Lord Help My Poor Soul betray Regan’s skill for sad-eyed songcraft.

Much like Laughing Bob, Regan has a unique way with words. His lyrics blur the boundaries between music and literature; he was even invited to speak to students by the Literary Society at Trinity College Dublin. It’s hard to think of many contemporary artists who can paint such vivid pictures of rural recreation or create such colourful, countrified collages.

While it is not as consistently stunning as his first effort, Empire is yet another effortlessly realised body of work and a glorious racket.

Album Review: Ke$ha - Animal

Animal is the debut album from obnoxious juvenile delinquent and sociopath Ke$ha. It opens with the cliché ridden whine-hop of Your Love Is My Drug and reaches a harrowing zenith on Blah Blah Blah - a tootling runt of a track so relentlessly and, it would seem, intentionally annoying you’d think it was produced and arranged by Michael Bay. The equally cretinous Dinosaur is a mean-spirited attack on an unfortunate barfly who Ke$ha believes is far too old to be admiring her (which probably means he’s over twenty-five), and contains the mind-numbingly churlish lyrics “you need to get a CAT scan” among the opening couplets.

It’s also quite unclear who Ke$ha’s demographic is. Lacking the lupine mystique of Shakira; the hip-shaking soul of Beyonce; the all American wholesomeness of pre-Right Said Fred era Britney or the unabashed dirt bag factor of Aguilera – Animal sounds likes Avril Lavigne remixed by Grooverider and spat out by a cross between Pink at her most brattish and Paris Hilton’s less attentive younger sister.

At the other end of the scale here, we have 6 Music playlist regular Tik-Tok, and this listenable La Roux-esque electro-pop paean to having a good time stands out like a sore thumb. The sun-kissed, vocoder driven ballad Stephen also provides brief respite. But ultimately, most of this disjointed jumble falls very wide of the mark.