Fionn Regan – ‘O Avalanche’ album review: Heart on wax, exposed and beating
THE SKINNY: To be creative, you need to be vulnerable. Even if what you’re making isn’t necessarily heart-wrenching or sad, there still has to be some element of vulnerability as you release your product into the world, ready for the public’s prying eyes. That feeling lies at the centre of each piece of music you listen to, art you gaze upon and film you watch. However, what you actually get as a consumer is a layered version of that vulnerability, one that can often take away from the dynamic nature of the arts. That’s not the case with Fionn Regan’s new album, though, O Avalanche.
Art isn’t always the most sacred thing. Even something that feels incredibly emotional has gone through layers of processes. Songs are written and re-written, laid down in a studio, produced, mastered, put through labels, sent for edits, dissected in press releases, condensed and defined before they’ve even reached the ears of a target audience. On this new Fionn Regan album, the heart of the song is left open for all to see, exposed and beating, present in every track and as connective as ever.
The album’s stripped-back nature, paired with reverbed vocals and hurried, softly strummed guitar, makes for incredibly raw listening. It’s impossible to hear these tracks and not feel somewhat moved by them, as they are, in their very nature, made to resonate profoundly personally.
As is the case with many albums that stay true to a specific tone, songs do feel quite similar at times. Realistically, this album can only ever be consumed as one, as very few tracks are individual enough to be enjoyed in isolation. Instead, this record is one large piece of emotive sound, which is great to listen to but exists in its best form in the confines of the record.
For fans of: People who don’t eat the crusts on pizzas and who turn up to the cinema as the adverts end, i.e., people who get straight to the point.
A concluding comment from a beating heart: “I have never felt more exposed.”
O Avalanche track by track:
Release: November 1st | Label: Nettwerk Music Group | Producer: Ian Grimble
‘Islands’: No time wasted. You wanted a long brooding intro? No chance. There’s music to be played. The drums are fast, the guitar sweeps, and the vocals are draped in reverb and sweet sound. It all combines for a haunting, almost dream-like atmosphere. It’s appealing and unique, something to certainly stick around for. [3/5]
‘Teix Mountains’: A tease of a drum machine and folk-like guitar welcome in the second track on the album. The vocals reflect those on the first track, subdued, relatively one-note and heavy on effects to give them a distant nature. It’s a sonic blanket, one that wraps you up and keeps you safe for the whole three-minute run time. [3/5]
‘O Avalanche’: An incredibly stripped-back number, so much so that it almost sounds unfinished in parts (in a good way). It feels like the raw emotion that makes a song before the walls go up. It begins with the feeling, sure, after that you have instrumentation, production, mastering and PR, but before all of that, you have the feeling, and that’s what this song sounds like. [4.5/5]
‘Blood Is Thicker Than Wine’: The guitar in this album doesn’t sound like it’s been added. The consistency of how it plays and the delicate way it caresses each track almost makes it sound like the guitar has always existed and the record was built around it. High-pitched vocals accompany unassuming plucking on ‘Blood Is Thicker Than Wine’, and it’s a treat. [3.5/5]
‘Anja I’: Despite its raw sound, ‘Anja I’ is probably one of the more full-bodied tracks on the record. The atmosphere is thicker and more layered, so much so that the song feels like one you need to wade through. It remains delicate, though, ever in keeping with the overall tone of this record. [3/5]
‘Anja II’: A track devoted to the comedown of what came before. The atmosphere is still there, still deep and uncompromising, but the track feels as though it’s descending from the heights achieved by the song prior. It collapses, the vocals more desperate, and the guitar oscillates downwards. A dynamic triumph. [4/5]
‘Farewell’: A song that almost embodies the spirit of goodbye. Distant and sombre. Heartfelt and meaningful. The guitar and vocals do the heavy lifting on one of the most moving tracks on the album, which is also one of the most minimalist. [4/5]
‘Into The Light Of The Sun’: It’s nice to have a more upbeat number following some of the more solemn songs that came before ‘In The Light Of The Sun’. It’s a much brighter and uplifting track, which is certainly needed and only adds to the album’s listenability. It feels like a real journey. [4/5]
‘Headphones’: By name and nature, this song is taken to another level when experienced in the solitude of headphones. Soft-spoken vocals and minimal instruments make for a very personal listening experience, but that’s part of the appeal of this record. This track’s more upbeat and repeated outro gives it an even better added layer, too. [3.5/5]
‘Swimming The Lakes / Flowers And Stones’: A track that unfortunately blends into the background. While the track itself is lovely and displays all of the standout qualities this record has in abundance, it also doesn’t do much to separate itself from the rest of the record, which is a must when ten songs in. [2/5]
‘Deia Song / Llucalcari’: A five-minute epic sees this album out. The same guitar and vocals have become close friends by this point, and we bid them farewell in a hopeful yet devastating track. Fragility, rawness, and emotion have been frontrunners on O Avalanche, so ending the record with a track representing all three aspects is a much-needed move. [3.5/5]
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.