Disco de The Divine Comedy: “Liberation”

Length - 52:13

Liberation was my first and only encounter with the seminal songsters, The Divine Comedy. At first bewildered by their bizarre and blatant noncomformism, I didn't quite know what to think of this album. After further listening and digesting; however, the eccentricities of this superb outfit unveiled to me a droll sense of humor, dynamic literacy and soaring, orchestral harmonies. An interesting characteristic of The Divine Comedy is in their influences. They seem to be undefinable in terms of music, but their lyrics and delivery are redolent of a number of famous literary pieces. The band is obviously well read, as evidenced by their scattershot literary references- most noteably Dante, F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Evangelists. This album progesses in classical epic fashion, veering around the corners of a tragicomic template in an expressive, diverse modus operandi that calls for a punctilious ear and an imaginative mind. There are several moments on Liberation that display a profound confluence of passion and ingenuity, particulary the songs Your Daddy's Car and I Was Born Yesterday, that are absolutely dazzling from start to finish. On the other hand, there are tracks so lugubrious that they teeter on the edge of being unendurable (Three Sisters and Europop). More often that not though, the better moments of this album arise and overshadow the disposable, crudely histrionic numbers. In a word, The Divine Comedy are worth checking out, and Liberation is as good a place as any to start.

If you agree with me that the Divine Comedy are, along withRadiohead and the Pet Shop Boys, the best British musical acts of the1990s (or 80s in the case of the Boys), then this can only be called their finest hour, before the image of Neil in that suit and tie took hold. Certainly, the album is easily the most cohesive they have ever produced. The album starts with 'Bath', and a 2-minute Michael Nyman-eque intro. It then goes on through such classics as 'The Summerhouse', Don't Look Down', 'A Drinking Song' and ends with The Divine Comedy's finest hour, 'Tonight We Fly'. Hannon was 24 when he wrote that song. Genius. It's not perfect; 'Neptune's Daughter' is boring, but the album, overall, is great. Buy it.

Hey, any Americans reading this - BUY "PROMENADE"! It is a sublime work of genius, from the dulcet tones of "Bath" through the eclectic list of authors in "The Booklovers" to the decadent "Drinking Song". This is what music could and should be like - and when you've finished with Promenade (if such a notion is possible), then find Casanova and Fin de Siècle - the two main albums to follow. Better still, e-mail me and let me preach on even more incessantly about the Hannon genius. I'll stop ranting now, but please buy this album if you love music!

When I heard this album in 1993, I found it so good that I thought Neil Hannon would become famous. But for whatever reason, he has remained a cult artist. Actually I did not really like his following albums. Good pop must follow the border separating beauty from ugliness. When you follow this border from the good side (beauty), you get the Beatles and Neil Hannon's "Liberation". But pop is like pastry, when there is too much sugar, it's heavy in your stomach. "Liberation" is british pop at its best.