Tuesday 31 October 2006



The Divine Comedy

There’s no end to the wealth of “undiscovered” treasures floating around the musical universe–artists who have achieved a sizable following over a long career, but have remained a part of the fringe. They’re not trend-jumpers, sound-apers, or tabloid-makers–they’re just criminally overlooked. I’ve always felt that on my side of the Atlantic at least, The Divine Comedy never got the attention they deserved. Neil Hannon (much like Robbie Williams) seems to have baffled North American (READ: U.S.) audiences. The Divine Comedy has been a going concern for some sixteen odd years now, and his loyal fans (and some new converts to the cause, thanks in part to the blogosphere) are eagerly awaiting the domestic release of his new album, Victory for the Comic Muse (a title referencing their debut, Fanfare for the Comic Muse).

In a recent interview in Under The Radar, Hannon admits that he didn’t initially plan on setting out to record a new Divine Comedy album: “I was a bit bored, and I wanted to do other things,” which included writing music for Jane Birkin and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Eventually, he found himself with material enough for a ninth installment of epic love stories, exotic locales, and blossoming sexuality amongst the “smartypants”. Typical of Hannon’s work, but heads and tails above your typical pop song, [STREAM] “To Die A Virgin” is the tale of a young lad in the search for tail. Sample lyrics:

“We’ve been going together/since the eighth of November,/though it seems like forever/I very clearly remember/You told me on our first date/What you’d do on my birthday/Hooray it’s my birthday!/And frankly baby I can’t wait…”

Oh, what anguish it is to be trapped in such a purgatory, and yet, what beauty Hannon rings from the 28-piece musical ensemble he brought together for the album. Victory, indeed, is his.

[The Divine Comedy's Victory for the Comic Muse buy]
[Find more mp3s at the Hype Machine!]




by J. Di Gioia | Comments Off

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