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Divine Comedy

Absent Friends - 2006

Tracks: Tracks: 1. Absent Friends / 2. Sticks & Stones / 3. Leaving Today / 4. Come Home Billy Bird / 5. My Imaginary Friend / 6. The Wreck of the Beautiful / 7. Our Mutual Friend / 8. The Happy Goth / 9. Freedom Road / 10. Laika's Theme / 11. Charmed Life

Comments:

I recently became acquainted with the Neil Hannon project "The Duckworth Lewis Method" and was very impressed by the album. British music tradition in the vein of great songwriters like Ray Davies and Pete Townsend.

I subsequently wanted to listen more closely to some of the recent The Divine Comedy, and the choice fell on the album "Absent Friends" from 2004. Perhaps it was not quite what I had hoped for although there without question are many beautiful songs on the album.

Some of the tracks are a little too heavily arranged for my taste - a little too grandiose. However, there are fine exceptions, where a simpler band-sound is predominant.

Tracks like "Come Home Billy Bird", "The Happy Goth" and the title track are melodic Brit-pop at its best.

Moreover, one must admit that songs like "Sticks and Stones," "Our Mutual Friend" and "Charmed Life" is very fine compositions.

Lyrically Hannon is a great storyteller. Good examples are "Our Mutual Friend" and "Come Home Billy Bird".

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