100 Acres of Sycamore - Fionn Regan
Metascore
71 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 15
  2. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Jan 27, 2012
    80
    Dramatic and ravishing, 100 Acres of Sycamore is some achievement.
  2. Dec 2, 2011
    80
    A starkly beautiful unerringly poetic outing. [Sep 2011, p.100]
  3. Dec 2, 2011
    80
    The landscape here is much richer.
  4. Dec 2, 2011
    80
    That warmth you're feeling come its close, try to hold onto it. It's a contentment few albums leave you with.
  5. Dec 2, 2011
    80
    What Regan has unquestionably created is a landscape of wide-eyed, sincere beauty that is very much his own, delivered with a poise that few of his contemporaries can match.
  6. Feb 21, 2012
    70
    Most of the time it's a joy to listen to.
  7. Dec 9, 2011
    70
    But while it's sometimes a little too understated for its own good, 100 Acres of Sycamore is a never less than a charming and emotive U-turn suggesting that Regan now realizes where his talents lie.
  8. Dec 2, 2011
    70
    There is a sameness to the songs and the arrangements. Yet this is also a compliment, as it shows the way the diverse topics blend together.
  9. 60
    The album's understated bleakness could be less uniform and more dynamic, but it's still a pleasant listening experience.
  10. Dec 2, 2011
    60
    There's preciousness here, but so what? Craftmen out to care. [Sep 2011, p.114]
  11. 60
    [It's] orchestrally enhanced, romantic balladry of fair beauty.
  12. Dec 2, 2011
    60
    100 Acres... drips with sonic gloss.
  13. Dec 2, 2011
    60
    Yet, as a whole, the record has one obvious flaw: it's dreary.
  14. Jan 19, 2012
    50
    While soul-bearingly intimate, at times Regan can veer into sappy regrets that wear on the listener. [#39, p. 75]
  15. You know those people who moon out of train windows, in love with their own picturesque melancholy? Fionn Regan's third album is like that.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. 8
    Closer in style to The End of History than Shadow of An Empire, this one see's FR go back to a more acoustic based folk style. There is a long more strings and orchestration going on here than ever before. It has some really beautiful songs on it. It is probably the weakest of his 3 records, but the standard is very high with this artist. This record takes a bit of time to get into but once you get it, your well rewarded. Full Review »
  2. Fionn Regan is back with his latest album "100 Acres Of Sycamore" and with the changes in his style he decided to make . If you are looking for happy rock songs - familiar from the previous "The Shadow of an Empire", you have to turn back. The newest album is a compilation of acoustic folk songs referring to the artist's debut album. Nonetheless this does not change the fact that "100 Acres Of Sycamore" is at least good work Full Review »
  3. Poetic and subtle but also grand and visceral, although never quite either. Like a joke without a proper punchline, the atmosphere is built up slowly and skillfully, only to be ruined by Regan's less-than-stellar hook-writing skills. There are occasional moments when the colour begins to show -- such as on the (reasonably) melodic "List of Distractions", or perhaps with Regan's wailing vocals on "Vodka Sorrow" -- although, in short, a record so delicate and monotonous rarely appeals -- and this is no exception. Recommended: "List of Distractions", "Woodberry Cemetery" Full Review »