The Divine Comedy

[ZeroDude]

Anyone here listened to him, Fin di Siecle is such a good album, plaus most of the others ones, Generation Sex anyone?

 

[AcrobatMan]

Heard couple of songs by them..not more than that

 

[u2popmofo]

I picked up the 'Absent Friends' album a few months back. It's a pretty good album. A very unique sound for 2004, you dont hear much orchestra pop these days. I like how a good majority of the songs are tongue in cheek too, pretty funny stuff.

My favs from it are:

Absent Friends
Sticks & Stones
Come home Billy Bird (a definite standout)
My Imaginary Friend (another humorous one)
Our Mutual Friend
Happy Goth (Is this possibly the funniest song title ever? Possibly. It's also a hilarious song too)
Freedom Road
Charmed Life (FANTASTIC, probably my fav song from the album)


Yes, that's a lot of favorites from one album. Suck it, Trebek.

 

[ZeroDude]

Hey you should check out Fin De Siecle, A Short Album about love or just pickup A Secret History which is sorta a best of

 

[IWasBored]

Happy Goth (Is this possibly the funniest song title ever? Possibly. It's also a hilarious song too)

 

[LJT]

Ha my brother actually beat me to starting a thread about my second favourite Irish group/person

Promenade is a great album...all of them are brilliant in my opinion wonderful mix of humour, satire and just the very beautiful and some very great lyrics...great voice and some of the arrangements in the songs are breath taking

I've also seen him in concert...once again one of the few artists i know of who live are better than on record.

 

[u2popmofo]

LJT or Zero,

How would you compare all their albums? I've still only heard the most recent, are they all along the same lines musically? I'm interested in hearing more, I just have absolutely no clue where to start or what any of the rest of their catalog is like. Please feel free to share to your heart's content about their discography and how it all compares to itself. I'm interested in learning

 

[LJT]

No problemos...

For a start The Divine Comedy is really only the one guy Neil Hannon for a few albums he had a definite lineup but then 'fired' them as such...so for the last album Absent Friends it was just back to him.

Liberation
Promenade
Casanova
A Short Album About Love
Fin de Siecle
Regeneration
Absent Friends

umm i don't have all of these in cd....i do have them through a certain other method though

They all follow that orchestral pop/rock kinda thing but they all sound pretty different ie. Regeneration is the most stripped down of his albums very melancholic but some really brilliant songs musically and lyrically.

For a start i would get Promenade ist a concept album about a day spent with a lover/really good friend...some of the sungs are really wonderful such as Tonight We Fly which is just 2 and a half minutes of pure joy or When The Lights Go Out All Over Europe...

Casanova and A Short Album About Love would though considering everything be the first two albums to get...some catchy songs and some really dark ones 'Through A Long and Sleepless Night' is creepy but brilliant once again.

Everything else is great too...but i would start with Casanova and A Short Album About Love.

The way i describe his music is a drunk Frank Sinatra with a full orchestra and a rock band backing

If you want i could e-mail you some tracks?

 

[u2popmofo]

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll look into those albums first.

 

[LJT]

My pleasure....let me know what you think when you get them

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

Ah, Neil Hannon.

I downloaded 'Our Mutual Friends' a while ago and was quite impressed.

 

[LJT]

http://s44.ysi.com/d.aspx?id=282BUC8VYQQ8B29EPIMBUJ3QUS
Tonight We Fly- Shepherd's Bush 02ish i think

http://s65.ysi.com/d.aspx?id=0F9VBKSF9FOLT184YERAH0MI5P
Through a Long and Sleepless Night- Casanova(album)

http://s65.ysi.com/d.aspx?id=3VUR717PO2KPP0HS1S3VU2HI5H
Mastermind- Regeneration(album)

http://s63.ysi.com/d.aspx?id=2L53M941S6YQ52XLMAGODO9DOS
I Was Born Yesterday- Liberation(album)

http://s65.ysi.com/d.aspx?id=0V6HGF8Z9L1R136A3MEHEDXOGT
The Happy Goth- Absent Friends(album)

http://s65.ysi.com/d.aspx?id=0F2WJQPFMIHIK3SR6CY1YHFHNE
Our Mutual Friend- Absent Friends(album)

http://s53.ysi.com/d.aspx?id=27RXL909CGEJM1Q125X7896P1W
No One Knows (QOTSA cover)- Dublin 04

http://s44.ysi.com/d.aspx?id=3AYU2CJTIPPJD0JT6BMZ1OPRG1
Generation Sex- Fin de Siecle(album & the only song i know that sample's the Jerry Springer Show )

http://s53.ysi.com/d.aspx?id=2KJV3HRANGJK522TEKT13HK0X8
When the Lights Go Out All Over Europe- Black Session France 04

Sample tracks if anyone is interested...a bit of variety from some of his absurd fun tracks to more sombre serious ones

 

[gareth brown]

Saw them at Glastonbury in 2004 I think it was. Fantastic performance. 'Songs of Love' and the cover of 'No One Knows' were fantastic!

 

[LJT]

He is brilliant...i saw him last year in October..with the Ulster Orchestra...really great show...he is also pretty funny

 

[ZeroDude]

Listen to my brother attentively, truthfully a man with genius ears so to speak

Tonight We Fly is one of the best songs ever imo if there is such a thing

 

[monkeyskin]

Saw them do No One Knows at the V fest last year. LOL that was an interesting version.

I don't know a whole lot, just the hits like National Express, Something for the Weekend, Pollen Count (?) and Gin Soaked Boy. The Father Ted theme is their best work though

 

[boosterjuice]

The Garbage are NOT breaking up!

According to Shirley Manson, the band is just taking an extended break due to excessive touring fatigue.

Check out the article: http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2005/09/22/1230389-ap.html

 

[LJT]

^umm you have posted in the wrong thread

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Know very little about the Divine Comedy except that Brian Molko tried to crack on to him once.....

 

[LJT]

hahaah he did?

Brian must like small guys