''100 Acres of Sycamore'' is the third studio album by Irish singer-songwriter

Fionn Regan Fionn Regan (born 1981) is an Irish folk musician and singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Bray, Regan came to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, '' The End of History'' in 2006. He had been releasing extended plays for six ...

, released on 8 August 2011 on

Heavenly Records Heavenly Recordings is a London-based independent record label founded by Jeff Barrett in 1990. Heavenly released the first albums from Saint Etienne, Beth Orton and Doves, and early singles by Manic Street Preachers. Current Heavenly artists ...

. Unlike Regan's previous album, '' The Shadow of an Empire'', which featured mostly

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

songs, the album foregrounds an acoustic aesthetic, similar to that of his debut, ''

The End of History The end of history is a political and philosophical concept that supposes that a particular political, economic, or social system may develop that would constitute the end-point of humanity's sociocultural evolution and the final form of human go ...

'' (2006). Recorded in seven days, ''100 Acres of Sycamore'' features a prominent string section throughout, and features backing vocal contributions from

The Staves The Staves are an English indie folk trio of sisters Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor from Watford, Hertfordshire, England. Career The Staves began performing together at open-mic nights in Watford hosted by a local pub, The Horns. ...

on the track, "North Star Lover".

Background and recording

Upon meeting actress

Anna Friel Anna Louise Friel (born 12 July 1976) is an English actress. Born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, she has been acting professionally since age 13. Friel achieved fame with her portrayal of Beth Jordache on the British soap opera ''Brookside'' ( ...

in Benicassim, in 2010, Regan subsequently began writing ''100 Acres of Sycamore'' whilst staying at her home in

Deià Deià is a municipality and small coastal village in the Serra de Tramuntana, which forms the northern ridge of the Spanish island of Mallorca. It is located about north of Valldemossa, and it is known for its literary and musical residents. ...

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

. Regarding the album's composition, Regan noted, "It was very fast, sometimes when you’re a writer it's like that, lightning strikes, the stars align for whatever reason. ..The songs were very fast, they flew like liquid gold." The album was recorded to tape using analogue methods, with Regan noting, "I just love the sound of it, I love the process. I love the idea that there's a master tape. It's a very potent thing." Regan and producer Sean Read recorded using the same console that

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums with ...

used to record their fourth studio album, ''

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''.

Writing and composition

Much of the album's material was written in

, with Regan stating, "I think if you could bottle a bit of the atmosphere and put it into the record, it's there. In saying that, I think it's spliced with walking in the woods in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Regarding his time in Deia, Regan noted, "That probably had most impact on the writing of the record. It’s sort of a place that’s laced with magic, it has the quality of a book, everything there feels like a dreamlike overtone to it. So a lot of the writing on the record and the way it sounds is my impression or whatever way that wove its way into the writing and it came back out in the record." Regarding the stylistc differences between ''100 Acres of Sycamore'' and his previous album, '' The Shadow of an Empire'', Regan noted, "The last album was kind of like a chrysalis and this is the butterfly. I think sometimes that everyone has to remember that you don't get 'this' without 'that'. This album wouldn't have happened without the last record. The second one wouldn't have happened without the first one. I think sometimes after the first record there might have been a feeling that, because I was on to a good thing, to just repeat it but I wasn't interested in that. It's very important for me to do what feels right at the time." Regan also noted, "My previous record, ''The Shadow Of An Empire'' was me looking out of a window at the world. With this one, it’s a clear look in." Regan describes the track, "Sow Mare Bitch Vixen" as "a celebration of the

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Track listing

All songs written and composed by Fionn Regan. # "100 Acres of Sycamore" - 5:35 # "Sow Mare Bitch Vixen" - 3:46 # "The Horses are Asleep" - 4:39 # "The Lake District" - 5:37 # "Dogwood Blossom" - 3:25 # "For a Nightingale" - 3:44 # "List of Distractions" - 3:32 # "1st Day of May" - 2:27 # "North Star Lover" - 5:20 # "Woodberry Cemetery" - 1:44 # "Vodka Sorrow" - 6:04 # "Golden Light" - 1:35

Personnel

Musicians

- vocals, guitar, piano (''11''), banjo (''9''), xylophone (''2''), bells (''2'' & ''4'') * Lascelle Gordan - drums, percussion * Howard Gott - violin, glockenspiel (''8''), string arrangements * Sarah Wilson - cello * Ali Friend - double bass * Sean Read - piano (''1 4 6'' & ''7'') *

- backing vocals (''9'') * Jonny Bridgwood - double bass (''9'')

Production

- producer, mixing, engineer (''12'') * Sean Read - producer, engineer * Owen Morgan - engineer, mixing * Seb Lewsley - engineer (''9'') * Canice Mills - additional engineering * Mandy Parnell - mastering * Laura Murphy - production coordinator

Artwork

* Fionn Regan - artwork * Swollen Design - layout, design

References

{{Authority control 2011 albums Fionn Regan albums Heavenly Recordings albums