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  Fionn Regan - Be Good or Be Gone
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�The End of History� is the beguiling debut album from Fionn Regan, an extraordinarily talented young artist perhaps destined to be regarded as one of the most unique voices of his generation. A few listens to this beautiful record should be enough to affirm this proclamation, for he has mapped out an artistic vision that is distinctly his own.

�Be Good or Be Gone�, the exquisite opening track, reveals all that is wonderful and different about Fionn. As the poetic first lines - �If you happen to read this, Rose was born, A child actress, on the fifth day of the snow� - are delivered over a delicately picked guitar motif, you immediately sense that you�re in the presence of something special. Following the evocative narrative and heartbreaking chorus, the song culminates with the startling words: �I have become, an aerial view� of a coastal town, that you once knew�. Be Good or Be Gone.

The album�s jaunty second track, �The Underwood Typewriter� further underlines his distinctive talents, showcasing both his originality as a lyricist and also his technical brilliance as a guitarist. Mind-bogglingly complex arpeggios ring out as Fionn delivers a sprightly, upbeat melody: �I�m changing the ribbon, in this old Underwood� Step out of your dress and I�ll wear you like a hood� For a hood is a home, for someone who lives alone�

Fionn Regan is a poetic visionary (and visionary poet). As a lyricist he occupies a singular place that is entirely his own. Some of his words are so distinctive to him that it is fair to say that they quite simply could not have been written by anyone else. Fionn invites you to view the world through his eyes via his idiosyncratic imagination.

Over the course of the album he weaves stories of astonishing beauty, like an instant film-maker� The lamenting sympathy for the tongue-tied school friend in �The Cowshed�� the wit and humour of the slide-show imagery in �Put a Penny in a Slot� -�I apologise but I seem to have arrived home with items in my bag from your house, there's some cutlery, a table cloth, some hennessy and a book on presidents deceased� - and the stunning, abstract evocation of life in a seaside town that is �Hey Rabbit�� This song in particular perhaps best highlights Fionn�s ability to create songs that both look to the past while at all times moving things forward. A song that is as old as time, stepped in folk tradition, and yet the melody and words are utterly strange and contemporary -�Hey Badger, you�re punched out, your mouth is around an aerosol can�They want you to sink but you stood up and swam�

Anyone who hears this record or has witnessed one of Fionn�s impassioned live performances will know that he is a truly magical presence and a vocal talent with incredible versatility and range. Particular mention must go to the stunning harmonies on display over the course of the album: the childlike additions in �Hey Rabbit�, the other-worldly howls of �Hunter�s Map� and the wondrous falsettos he delivers on �Black Water Child�.

For the recording of his debut, Fionn has eschewed the big production values embraced by many singer-songwriters. Fionn�s sonic ideals have more in common with classic recordings of the 60s and 70s, with Fionn recording in a live capacity using analogue equipment, with guitar & vocals performed simultaneously in one take while introducing percussion, piano and strings to mesmerising effect.

And so to that iconic title: �The End of History�. A bold and unusual title� and of course an ambiguous title. What is this end of history to which out author refers? Could it refer to the end of ideas, either artistic or political� the idea that we are somehow at the end of the progression of human history? Is it more personal, the beginning of the future, a call to live in the moment? Or does it refer to the unreachable sadness and hopelessness of a loved one? �I feel your sorrow� chasing tomorrow� If you call a monster he will appear� like I disappear� blackout� Perhaps this is all true? Perhaps the title has multiple meanings..? As with much of the finest art, maybe it is best that the meaning remains open to the interpretation of the listener.

�The End of History� is an album that people will be talking about for years� and a work of art that will grow in stature alongside the career of this supremely talented young artist. This is a record in which you can lose yourself� and return with pearls in your pockets.