I was a little late to the Fionn Regan party, I’ll admit, but when I heard he was working with Ethan Johns (probably my favorite producer/engineer/drummer) I started following his MySpace page like a hawk, waiting to hear the follow-up to his breakthrough debut The End of History. It was there that “Protection Racket” first dropped months ago as a free stream, but was suddenly removed without explanation.
Well, good news, folks: Regan is offering the awesome Dylan-esque single from his upcoming “conversational” album The Shadow of an Empire as a free download (via Irish Times). I should note, however, that it’s unclear whether Ethan Johns produced this track, as he was only involved in early recording sessions to my knowledge.
Do your soul a favor and right-click save as the free MP3 of “Protection Racket” here.