Once upon a time (or "1989", as it's more commonly known), the diminutive son of a clergyman from Northern Ireland went to London to make his fortune. But his somewhat bog-standard indie guitar band, The Divine Comedy ("I wanted to be Mark Gardener out of Ride very badly indeed") didn't make anyone's fortune with their mini-album "Fanfare For The Comic Muse", so he had a rethink. Without his former bandmates, and with a new-found obsession with polyphonic harmony, chamber music and literary references, Neil Hannon's reborn Divine Comedy were a very different kettle of marine life. The old DC might have sounded deeply derivative, but the new .  Read the complete review

Promenade is "The" Divine Comedy album. A fan favourite, it's probably the most loved of Neil's albums. The Divine Comedy albums usually have a theme pulling the songs together but in this case it is more of a concept album, following the exploits of a young couple in love. There is also a recurring theme of water throughout Promenade, which fits in nicely with the dark blue hue on the album's front cover. Okay, poncey stuff over (well, not really) let's have a look at the album track by track. Bath. This starts off rather subdued and quiet (despite the sound of crashing waves), sounding very much like Michael Nyman (apparently Neil gave him a copy ...  Read the complete review

Ever listened to a record that takes you somewhere far away? Not just gets you reminiscing of somewhere you went, but takes you back to a place you can only imagine, a forgotten era when everything seemed simple? A song so enrichening to body and soul that you come away with a warm feeling inside at the end of it all? Enough amateur dramatics. The point I'm trying to get over is that Promenade, the second album by erstwhile Ulsterman Neil Hannon and his vehicle is a must-have record. From the opening refrain of 'Bath' complete with resplendent cor anglais, to the galloping-drum led masterpiece that is 'Tonight We Fly', this album sparkles with ...  Read the complete review

Neil Hannon poses at the entrance to the Louvre on the cover of PROMENADE, an indicator that he was now fully embracing the unashamedly artistic and literary pretensions hinted at on LIBERATION. Indeed 'The Booklovers' is simply a recitation of authors' names put to music, and the album is littered with cultural references all the way through to its final line. But don't think that it is a snobbish or inaccessible record - it is quite the opposite. Sales of this album were quite modest, despite critical acclaim, which is bewildering when it is such a brilliant and fascinating collection of pop songs. It continues where LIBERATION left off with ...  Read the complete review

This is the Divine Comedy's second album, and was released when the Divine Comedy was effectively Neil Hannon with a string quartet. These early albums show of his talented far better than the lavishly produced albums that he has since released. He plays a whole range of guitars and keyboard instruments, as well as singing and arranging strings and a few woodwind lines. Although this album is supposed to be a concept album about two lovers spending a day at the seaside, the link can sometimes be a bit tenuous, either that or they are a distinctly weird couple, the sequence of events going; having a bath to get ready, nervously going to meet her, reading ...  Read the complete review