The Divine Comedy – Victory for the Comic Muse

 


There’s something so refreshing about The Divine Comedy. Maybe it’s the fact that, instead of wanting to play Madison Square Garden, Neil Hannon would probably rather play Carnegie Hall. Instead of playing the urban cess-pit that is the Brixton Academy, he’d rather play in the chambers of a stately home in Suffolk. Instead of getting a complimentary blow job and a bottle of imported lager in the back halls of the Melkweg, Hannon would rather be rogering some rich damsel in the court of Louis XIV whilst feasting on venison and red wine. He’s that kind of fop you see.


 


Victory for the Comic Muse sees Hannon on top form once again. It won’t make fans of any of his detractors, but those are people who don’t know their arse from their elbow. More akin with earlier Divine Comedy works (hence the referential title perhaps?) than the outstanding Absent Friends, Victory for the Comic Muse finds Hannon at his poppiest. The fop is back and he’s in a good mood. Here’s the Incendiary track by track review.


 

To Die A Virgin – My early teenage years in a nutshell. This is a blast. Although I’d rather not live those painful, frustrating memories over and over I can’t help but find this song absolutely fantastic. Great horns, ooer. A great opening track, this is gonna sound fantastic live.
Mother DearQuite possibly the only song released in 2007 that you’ll be able to Charleston to. Hannon takes the banjo from Joe Purdy’s Washed Away and gives it a hefty kick up the backside, adds the type of swagger usually reserved for those end of pier cabaret acts and injects the whole thing with the most heartening of lyrics. Remember kids, you’ll never have a better friend than your Mother. Give her a call if you can, she’ll be pleased to hear from you.
Diva Lady – “She’s got 30 people in her entourage / just in case her ego needs a quick massage.”  I see he’s met Missy Elliot as well then. A jolly little tune that could make another good single. Nice handclaps near the end too.
A Lady Of A Certain Age – Suave, sophisticated and containing one of the best lyrics Hannon’s ever put to paper, this is a stunning track. It’s the heartbreaking tale of some high-society woman whose husband died and “left the villa to his mistress in Marseille.” The music just skips along quite gently, with some beautiful strings dancing throughout and results in something quite devastating. It’s the type of song that Martini’s were made for. Make it a large one and enjoy.
The Light Of Day – A man looks back on the relationship with his partner and wonders where it all went tits up. There have been hundreds of great songs written on this topic in the past. This is another one. Probably the most heartfelt track on the album.
Threesome – An instrumental interlude that will wash down nicely with a good cup of tea.
Party Fears Two – Why is this on here? Ok, so it’s a decent reworking of The Associates’ original, but it’s not as glee inducing as their banjo laden cover of Queens Of The Stone Age’s No One Knows now is it?
Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World – The catchiest song he’s written since Becoming More Like Alfie. If this doesn’t become a single then there’s just no justice in the world. Truly delightful.
The Plough – Teetering on the edge of Andrew Lloyd Webber territory, this sounds like a cast off from Man Of La Mancha. It’s also about an accountant. Baffling.
Count Grassi’s Passage Over Piedmont – Not only does it have a fabulous title, but this song contains the line, “Push Sisyphus! Push!” which just goes to show how much of a pretentious fop Hannon can be. It also contains the line, “Oh Newton, release this apple from its Earthly shackles!” Now that’s just genius. Great clarinet work too.
Snowball In Negative – It’s about a fag. As in a cigarette. Only The Divine Comedy could do something like this. A rather aimless end to the album, as a non smoker this makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Oh well, buy it anyway ‘cos the rest of it’s great.

 


Words : Damian Leslie