Casanova

Yo tengo un cariño especial a los albumes super cheesy pero que tienen mucha instrumentalización y donde los propios cantantes saben el lache que dan. La verdad es que me ha gustado mucho.

Some parts were a bit too overly theatrical and cheesy for me, but there are some great arrangements that caught my ear. 3.5/5

Someone explain why I liked this

Like sleazy Belle and Sebastian, maybe a bit of Momus? Not as good as either of those artists though, even if they don't quite make me feel like I need to go take a shower as much as Momus does.

yeah, lovely stuff, nice dry voice Neil Hannon has

Making me want to watch Father Ted Too much whistling but otherwise I really enjoyed it

I have been rolling my eyes at a lot of the mid 90s british music that makes the list because the author tends to look at them with rose colored glasses, but this was pretty pretty pretty good

Opening with the knowing "nudge, nudge, wink, wink" of 'Something for the Weekend', "Casanova" is packed with buoyant melodies and elegant chamber-pop arrangements. Lyrically, Neil Hannon shares the keen observational eye of Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, albeit viewed through a less gritty, more polished lens. Vocally, his style draws clear parallels to both Morrissey and Scott Walker, while tracks like 'Charge' introduce a dash of European cabaret, adding a distinctly theatrical flair to the record. The album is a delightful listen, balancing sweeping orchestral arrangements with genuine wit. The elegance of the orchestration, paired with Hannon's light-touch irony, gives the entire project a playful quality that holds up remarkably well. Stand-out tracks include 'Songs of Love' (famous as the Father Ted theme tune) and 'The Frog Princess'. Four stars. 1 "Something for the Weekend" (4/5) 2 "Becoming More Like Alfie" (4/5) 3 "Middle-Class Heroes" (3/5) 4 "In & Out of Paris & London" (4/5) 5 "Charge" (4/5) 6 "Songs of Love" (5/5) 7 "The Frog Princess" (5/5) 8 "A Woman of the World" (4/5) 9 "Through a Long & Sleepless Night" (4/5) 10 "Theme from Casanova" (4/5) 11 "The Dogs & the Horses" (4/5) Total - 46 Average - 4.2 422/1001 222/422 albums reviewed were new to me.

Did everybody have that one theater kid at their high school who wore a cape unironically? Because he made this album and he's very serious about it

It’s whatever, man. I just can’t with the mediocrity of this list

Felt like a Las Vegas Niel diamond impersonator playing songs I didn't know. A little entertaining in an ironic sort of way at best, unsettling at worst.

The first couple songs on this album went straight in one ear and out the other. I found myself thinking that this is going to be another just alright chamber pop album that was destined for a 3 or maybe even a 2 depending on how much it bored me. However, something clicked during the run from Middle Class Heroes to Charge and I found myself really enjoying everything to a point that I knew I needed to start over. On second listen, I was invested right away. The production and arrangements are wonderful. The lyrics and singing are campy and a bit sleazy, but it feels like he knows exactly what he’s going for and is absolutely in on the joke. I ended up really enjoying this one.

Terrible lyrics lol

Dette er interessant ei lita stund, deretter står det ikkje distansen for meg. Artig konsept og morosame tekstar, men det kan verke som konseptet er viktigare enn musikken og utover i plata vert det lite engasjerande.

The Divine Comedy høres ut som Scott Walker om han klarte å få hodet sitt ut av sin egen endetarm i bare fem minutter. Jarvis Cocker like sleazy som Neil Hannon, men på en mye mer åpenbar og forutsigbar måte. Jarvis Cocker er generelt en Temu-versjon av Neil Hannon. Det er sikkert derfor han har fått posisjonen han har fått som “den intellektuelle” britpopperen, mens den av dem som faktisk kan lese bøker uten bilder blir for vanskelig tilgjengelig og “elitistisk” for massene. Skal man sammenligne Neil Hannon med noen synes jeg kanskje Momus er en fyr å trekke fram. Casanova er langt fra den beste Divine Comedy-plata, men Something for the Weekend er vel den største hitten, så da blir det fort denne som havner på lista. 7/10

Dette ga meg fint lite. Kan skimta tendensar til noko som kunne ha endt opp som popmusikk eg kunne satt pris på her, men for det meste synst eg det endar opp i vas.

Jeg var veldig glad i Divine Comedy sent på 90-tallet. Riktignok var det ikke Casanova jeg hørte på, det var i hovedsak A Short Album About Love som gjaldt. Antar at det var en anbefaling i Natt & Dag som var utslagsgivende. Hannon laget smart barokkpop som fikk meg til å føle meg smartere. Topp stemning! En av de første klubbkonsertene jeg så var Divine Comedy på John Dee, og i en god del år etterpå fartet jeg rundt i en Fin de siècle-t-skjorte så ofte det lot seg gjøre. Divine Comedy er rett og slett det morsomste gjenhøret i dette opplegget så langt. Fint åpningsspor på Casanova. Så er det noen låter utover hvor det blir i overkant teatralsk til at jeg kan dele ut full pott.

The Divine Comedy - Casanova Divine Comedy høyres for meg ut som noko midt mellom Scott Walker og Jarvis Cocker. Det heng ei erkebritisk sky over det heile og så får me kontrasten i alle desse strykarane og svære arrangementa. Det starta bra og etter dei to første tenkte eg at, tja... kanskje dette kan vere noko for meg? Men... "In & Out of Paris" og særleg "Charge" er heilt fæle og eg må faktisk spole litt. Fint at nydelege, nedtrippa "Songs Of Love" dukkar opp då - for då var dette verdt dei 50 minutta det tok likevel. 6/10

Scott Walker: The Britpop Years

Get this off this list. 96 had so much good and more impactful music. You know what's not on here? Spice girls. Do I like them? No. Should they be on this list? Absolutely. Crazy. This is ragebait

Ass en vrais

This was an odd album. The songs lyrics were odd. Very British. I've never heard of this band before. I didn't love it.

Casanova The Divine Comedy 1996 Genres: Pop, Rock Styles: Baroque Pop, Chamber Pop, Lounge, Music Hall, Pop Rock, Indie Rock 1. Something for the Weekend (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Un mujeriego intenta seducir a una mujer, pero ella sospecha que hay algo extraño en el cobertizo. Él insiste en que no pasa nada y termina entrando en la trampa: los cómplices de ella lo golpean, lo atan y le roban el auto y el dinero. Es una historia cómica de seducción, engaño y revancha donde el supuesto Casanova termina siendo el ingenuo. 2. Becoming More Like Alfie (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El narrador recuerda que alguna vez fue más romántico e idealista, pero empieza a adoptar la personalidad de Alfie, el mujeriego de la película de 1966. Se convence de que para conseguir mujeres tiene que abandonar el sentimentalismo y comportarse como un tipo más cínico, directo y sexualmente despreocupado. La gracia está en que reconoce que está convirtiéndose precisamente en el tipo de hombre que antes despreciaba. 3. Middle-Class Heroes (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Una sátira de la vida de la clase media intelectual y bohemia. El narrador imagina parejas rodeadas de decoración pretenciosa, espiritualidad oriental, comida alternativa y sueños de realización personal, que finalmente terminan criando hijos y enfrentándose a una existencia mediocre. La canción presenta la adultez, las responsabilidades y la reproducción como una especie de destino inevitable y absurdamente trágico. 4. In & Out of Paris & London (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El protagonista se entrega directamente a una vida de conquistas sexuales. Se enamora de una mujer diferente prácticamente cada día y trata el sexo como una actividad divertida que no debe tomarse demasiado en serio. La repetición obsesiva de "in and out" convierte la canción en una representación deliberadamente mecánica y banal de la promiscuidad del personaje. 5. Charge (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El sexo es presentado como una batalla o una carga militar. El narrador utiliza imágenes de guerra, ataque y conquista para describir la persecución sexual, exagerando la tradicional idea masculina de que seducir es una especie de enfrentamiento que hay que ganar. Es una de las canciones más deliberadamente grandilocuentes y absurdas del disco. 6. Songs of Love (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El narrador observa a las personas enamorándose mientras él se dedica a escribir canciones sobre el amor. Hay una distancia entre experimentar el amor y contemplarlo desde afuera, como si fuera un tema artístico. Es una de las canciones más cálidas y sinceras del álbum y funciona como un pequeño descanso frente al cinismo y la obsesión sexual de las anteriores. 7. The Frog Princess (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Una relación presentada como un cuento de hadas perverso. El protagonista se siente atraído por una mujer a la que llama "la princesa rana", pero detrás de la fantasía no existe un amor verdadero: hay deseo, fascinación, superficialidad y finalmente rechazo. La canción subvierte la idea del príncipe que besa a la rana para convertirla en una mujer ideal y plantea una relación en la que la transformación no conduce a un final feliz. 8. A Woman of the World (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El narrador está fascinado por una mujer sofisticada y cosmopolita que abandonó su entorno anterior para convertirse en una mujer del mundo. La desea, pero también parece envidiarla y sentirse intimidado por ella. La canción mezcla atracción sexual, admiración y una especie de crisis de identidad masculina: él no sabe si quiere poseerla, ser como ella o simplemente formar parte del mundo que ella representa. 9. Through a Long & Sleepless Night (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Durante una noche de insomnio, el protagonista entra en una crisis personal. Sus antiguas ilusiones se han convertido en sueños podridos, su pasado lo persigue y empieza a contemplar las consecuencias de una vida dedicada al sexo casual. Sin embargo, incluso mientras reconoce su frustración y soledad, sigue tentado por volver a la vida bohemia, irresponsable y sexual que intenta abandonar. Es probablemente la canción que muestra con mayor claridad el lado inseguro y desesperado detrás del personaje de Casanova. 10. Theme From Casanova (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Una especie de falso tema de presentación para la propia película imaginaria de Casanova. Funciona como una parodia de las grandes bandas sonoras y presentaciones televisivas, introduciendo al personaje y convirtiendo todo lo ocurrido en el álbum en una especie de espectáculo. Es deliberadamente teatral y exagerada, como si el disco se burlara de su propia pomposidad. 11. The Dogs & The Horses (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El álbum abandona finalmente la obsesión sexual y se enfrenta al envejecimiento y la muerte. El paso de las estaciones funciona como metáfora del paso de la vida y el narrador imagina su propia muerte rodeado por sus perros y caballos. Después de pasar todo el disco persiguiendo mujeres y placeres, termina descubriendo que el verdadero límite no es conseguir otra conquista, sino que el tiempo se acaba y todos terminamos muriendo. -TOTAL = 1. Something for the Weekend (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Un mujeriego intenta seducir a una mujer, pero ella sospecha que hay algo extraño en el cobertizo. Él insiste en que no pasa nada y termina entrando en la trampa: los cómplices de ella lo golpean, lo atan y le roban el auto y el dinero. Es una historia cómica de seducción, engaño y revancha donde el supuesto Casanova termina siendo el ingenuo. 2. Becoming More Like Alfie (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El narrador recuerda que alguna vez fue más romántico e idealista, pero empieza a adoptar la personalidad de Alfie, el mujeriego de la película de 1966. Se convence de que para conseguir mujeres tiene que abandonar el sentimentalismo y comportarse como un tipo más cínico, directo y sexualmente despreocupado. La gracia está en que reconoce que está convirtiéndose precisamente en el tipo de hombre que antes despreciaba. 3. Middle-Class Heroes (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Una sátira de la vida de la clase media intelectual y bohemia. El narrador imagina parejas rodeadas de decoración pretenciosa, espiritualidad oriental, comida alternativa y sueños de realización personal, que finalmente terminan criando hijos y enfrentándose a una existencia mediocre. La canción presenta la adultez, las responsabilidades y la reproducción como una especie de destino inevitable y absurdamente trágico. 4. In & Out of Paris & London (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El protagonista se entrega directamente a una vida de conquistas sexuales. Se enamora de una mujer diferente prácticamente cada día y trata el sexo como una actividad divertida que no debe tomarse demasiado en serio. La repetición obsesiva de "in and out" convierte la canción en una representación deliberadamente mecánica y banal de la promiscuidad del personaje. 5. Charge (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El sexo es presentado como una batalla o una carga militar. El narrador utiliza imágenes de guerra, ataque y conquista para describir la persecución sexual, exagerando la tradicional idea masculina de que seducir es una especie de enfrentamiento que hay que ganar. Es una de las canciones más deliberadamente grandilocuentes y absurdas del disco. 6. Songs of Love (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El narrador observa a las personas enamorándose mientras él se dedica a escribir canciones sobre el amor. Hay una distancia entre experimentar el amor y contemplarlo desde afuera, como si fuera un tema artístico. Es una de las canciones más cálidas y sinceras del álbum y funciona como un pequeño descanso frente al cinismo y la obsesión sexual de las anteriores. 7. The Frog Princess (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Una relación presentada como un cuento de hadas perverso. El protagonista se siente atraído por una mujer a la que llama "la princesa rana", pero detrás de la fantasía no existe un amor verdadero: hay deseo, fascinación, superficialidad y finalmente rechazo. La canción subvierte la idea del príncipe que besa a la rana para convertirla en una mujer ideal y plantea una relación en la que la transformación no conduce a un final feliz. 8. A Woman of the World (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El narrador está fascinado por una mujer sofisticada y cosmopolita que abandonó su entorno anterior para convertirse en una mujer del mundo. La desea, pero también parece envidiarla y sentirse intimidado por ella. La canción mezcla atracción sexual, admiración y una especie de crisis de identidad masculina: él no sabe si quiere poseerla, ser como ella o simplemente formar parte del mundo que ella representa. 9. Through a Long & Sleepless Night (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Durante una noche de insomnio, el protagonista entra en una crisis personal. Sus antiguas ilusiones se han convertido en sueños podridos, su pasado lo persigue y empieza a contemplar las consecuencias de una vida dedicada al sexo casual. Sin embargo, incluso mientras reconoce su frustración y soledad, sigue tentado por volver a la vida bohemia, irresponsable y sexual que intenta abandonar. Es probablemente la canción que muestra con mayor claridad el lado inseguro y desesperado detrás del personaje de Casanova. 10. Theme From Casanova (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Una especie de falso tema de presentación para la propia película imaginaria de Casanova. Funciona como una parodia de las grandes bandas sonoras y presentaciones televisivas, introduciendo al personaje y convirtiendo todo lo ocurrido en el álbum en una especie de espectáculo. Es deliberadamente teatral y exagerada, como si el disco se burlara de su propia pomposidad. 11. The Dogs & The Horses (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El álbum abandona finalmente la obsesión sexual y se enfrenta al envejecimiento y la muerte. El paso de las estaciones funciona como metáfora del paso de la vida y el narrador imagina su propia muerte rodeado por sus perros y caballos. Después de pasar todo el disco persiguiendo mujeres y placeres, termina descubriendo que el verdadero límite no es conseguir otra conquista, sino que el tiempo se acaba y todos terminamos muriendo.1. Something for the Weekend (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Un mujeriego intenta seducir a una mujer, pero ella sospecha que hay algo extraño en el cobertizo. Él insiste en que no pasa nada y termina entrando en la trampa: los cómplices de ella lo golpean, lo atan y le roban el auto y el dinero. Es una historia cómica de seducción, engaño y revancha donde el supuesto Casanova termina siendo el ingenuo. 2. Becoming More Like Alfie (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El narrador recuerda que alguna vez fue más romántico e idealista, pero empieza a adoptar la personalidad de Alfie, el mujeriego de la película de 1966. Se convence de que para conseguir mujeres tiene que abandonar el sentimentalismo y comportarse como un tipo más cínico, directo y sexualmente despreocupado. La gracia está en que reconoce que está convirtiéndose precisamente en el tipo de hombre que antes despreciaba. 3. Middle-Class Heroes (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Una sátira de la vida de la clase media intelectual y bohemia. El narrador imagina parejas rodeadas de decoración pretenciosa, espiritualidad oriental, comida alternativa y sueños de realización personal, que finalmente terminan criando hijos y enfrentándose a una existencia mediocre. La canción presenta la adultez, las responsabilidades y la reproducción como una especie de destino inevitable y absurdamente trágico. 4. In & Out of Paris & London (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El protagonista se entrega directamente a una vida de conquistas sexuales. Se enamora de una mujer diferente prácticamente cada día y trata el sexo como una actividad divertida que no debe tomarse demasiado en serio. La repetición obsesiva de "in and out" convierte la canción en una representación deliberadamente mecánica y banal de la promiscuidad del personaje. 5. Charge (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El sexo es presentado como una batalla o una carga militar. El narrador utiliza imágenes de guerra, ataque y conquista para describir la persecución sexual, exagerando la tradicional idea masculina de que seducir es una especie de enfrentamiento que hay que ganar. Es una de las canciones más deliberadamente grandilocuentes y absurdas del disco. 6. Songs of Love (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El narrador observa a las personas enamorándose mientras él se dedica a escribir canciones sobre el amor. Hay una distancia entre experimentar el amor y contemplarlo desde afuera, como si fuera un tema artístico. Es una de las canciones más cálidas y sinceras del álbum y funciona como un pequeño descanso frente al cinismo y la obsesión sexual de las anteriores. 7. The Frog Princess (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Una relación presentada como un cuento de hadas perverso. El protagonista se siente atraído por una mujer a la que llama "la princesa rana", pero detrás de la fantasía no existe un amor verdadero: hay deseo, fascinación, superficialidad y finalmente rechazo. La canción subvierte la idea del príncipe que besa a la rana para convertirla en una mujer ideal y plantea una relación en la que la transformación no conduce a un final feliz. 8. A Woman of the World (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El narrador está fascinado por una mujer sofisticada y cosmopolita que abandonó su entorno anterior para convertirse en una mujer del mundo. La desea, pero también parece envidiarla y sentirse intimidado por ella. La canción mezcla atracción sexual, admiración y una especie de crisis de identidad masculina: él no sabe si quiere poseerla, ser como ella o simplemente formar parte del mundo que ella representa. 9. Through a Long & Sleepless Night (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Durante una noche de insomnio, el protagonista entra en una crisis personal. Sus antiguas ilusiones se han convertido en sueños podridos, su pasado lo persigue y empieza a contemplar las consecuencias de una vida dedicada al sexo casual. Sin embargo, incluso mientras reconoce su frustración y soledad, sigue tentado por volver a la vida bohemia, irresponsable y sexual que intenta abandonar. Es probablemente la canción que muestra con mayor claridad el lado inseguro y desesperado detrás del personaje de Casanova. 10. Theme From Casanova (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: Una especie de falso tema de presentación para la propia película imaginaria de Casanova. Funciona como una parodia de las grandes bandas sonoras y presentaciones televisivas, introduciendo al personaje y convirtiendo todo lo ocurrido en el álbum en una especie de espectáculo. Es deliberadamente teatral y exagerada, como si el disco se burlara de su propia pomposidad. 11. The Dogs & The Horses (★⯨☆☆☆) -Contexto: El álbum abandona finalmente la obsesión sexual y se enfrenta al envejecimiento y la muerte. El paso de las estaciones funciona como metáfora del paso de la vida y el narrador imagina su propia muerte rodeado por sus perros y caballos. Después de pasar todo el disco persiguiendo mujeres y placeres, termina descubriendo que el verdadero límite no es conseguir otra conquista, sino que el tiempo se acaba y todos terminamos muriendo. -TOTAL = ★⯨☆☆☆ (1) -Un pedazo de basura sin importancia alguna, no tiene valor más que hacer perder el tiempo. Para mí fue un 1, sinceramente es un álbum vacío, no suena bien de manera consistente, en realidad es bastante mediocre, pero con la intención pretenciosa de hacer parecer otra cosa. Cuanto vi un título sugerente y 1996, pensé en rock de esa época y me tocó este álbum de mierda...

Honestly, I didn't even pay attention to it, it didn't sound bad, but not particularly great. It didn't bother in the background. 2,5/5.

3/5. This album was way hornier than I was expecting, which does lead to some questionable lyrics (especially on the song “In and out of Paris and London”) but also based on the tone of everything here the band seems to be taking the piss out of it all. It doesn’t all work for me, some of it gets a bit too cheesy, but there are some genuinely great highlights here like the opener and biggest hit “Something for the weekend” or “through a long and sleepless night.”

This guy has a great voice and has some well written songs. Must explore more albums by them.

Have I listened to this album before No How familiar am I with this album Completely unfamiliar How do I feel about this artist? Never heard of them Pre-Listen Thoughts: I am intrigued by the idea if Irish Baroque chamber music Favorite track(s): The Frog Princess, The Dogs & The Horses Post-Listen Thoughts: I seem to be in the minority here but I liked this entire album. I'm gonna give it a 4. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but I thoroughly enjoyed every single song. He sounds like Danny Elfman a bit at the end, I was picturing Jack Skellingon singing the closing track on his weird little curly cliff thing.

really not for me

Y'know what, I had never heard of this group and now I think, after two albums, I like 'em. Man can sing. It's deliberately cheesey. I dig Italian chamber pop. This wasn't as strong as the last album but I'm still giving it a 4 because I'll absolutely listen again and I enjoyed well more than half of the tracks.

on a last of bad britpop this might be the baddest

Definitely feels like this could be like the 10th time I've heard this album on this list.

Is it British? ✔️ Does it belong on the list? I’m gonna have to go out on a limb here; it’s actually quite unique and… idk interesting? ✔️ How do I feel about it? 🤘 4 Boolean: True

This was not good. Who included it in this list? Their judgement was very poor.

Liked it more than I thought I would. I've only heard a few scattered Divine Comedy tracks over the years, and never explored further. This is a solid album.

WTF? NO! We already had one of these! STOP please! It wasn't funny the first time.

A proper troubadour, full of whimsy and catchy melodies. I do like Neil Hannon, takes it very seriously but doesn't take himself seriously at the same time, musically and melodically interesting, and some brilliant tongue in cheek lyrics. A gem

No thanks

I don’t know how to feel about this. It has a feeling of being from the 70s but it’s from 96. It’s an odd ball. I didn’t hate it but much of it felt like bill nighy. I don’t know how else to express that except just pretend it’s bill nighy and that brought me great joy. Also a lot of this sounds like the music from nightmare before Christmas.

Casebrova vibes

Good pop

I’m sure someone out there likes this. Doesn’t move me. Not pleasant. Meh. Whatever.

Not sure what to make of this

At least the instrumental tracks were good

It's keeping me at a distance.

This was an unexpected surprised. Really enjoyed it. Great music, arrangements and singing, but also really funny and entertaining. Britpop the best genre of pop music ever??

Never rated The Divine Comedy, didn't rate them the time their other album in this list came up, and i still don't rate them today...

I get that music is subjective, and I’m sure there are people out there who loved this album. I am not one of them. It started innocuously enough for me, but by the time Charge finished, I’d had enough.

Melodramatic, over the top, but had a strange appeal.

There were some catchy songs on this but it didn't particular stand out for any reason.

As much as I love the best tracks - Something for the Weekend, Songs of Love and Becoming More Like Alfie the rest of it is lacking.

this is a joke right…….

This garbage managed to not even live up to my absolutely rock bottom expectations I had going in. Guy's named himself "The Divine Comedy" and his album "Casanova" and has that album cover and it was somehow worse than I'd feared. Lucky I didn't punch my monitor.

Not sure what about this makes it one of the top 1001 albums.

So, if this music is supposed to be good, I don't appreciate it and if it's supposed to be funny I definitely don't get the joke. And I'm afraid it's supposed to be both things.

Yeah, this was…not good. And I love Britpop.

i like my share of camp but this is too far for me

Kind of cheesy. There are strokes of beauty and some great humor, but it can be a bit much theatrics at times. I know it's what this band does, but I've heard them do it better on other albums.

Pretty good

I really want to love the Divine Comedy, and the tracks I do like hold a special little place in my heart. That said, I don't think enough of them are that witty, and much of the musical styling in this album isn't to my taste. By the end, I found I was waiting for it to be over. I'd never heard the non-instrumental version of the song that became the Father Ted theme before, though, so that was nice.

My dog hates horses. Didn't think that would ever be relevant to a music review but here we are. It's a solid album, even if it's a silly album. I absolutely adore the tone and timbre of his voice.

I hated the content of this album (is it satire, is it British comedy I just don’t understand?) but some of the song structure was interesting and I enjoyed it as “at least it’s a bit different than most Brit pop”. Instrumentation definitely the highlight for most songs.

I am completely missing whatever the appeal of this is supposed to be.

I only really knew National Express up to this point. This is a great record; full of ideas, fantastic instrumentation and production. Perhaps a tad too twee to make it a 5 for me, but strong effort indeed. Favourite tracks: Something for the Weekend, Becoming More Like Alfie, Charge, The Frog Princess, Through a Long & Sleepless Night.

I judge anyone who likes this nonsense just a little bit.

weird, but pretty good.

Every now and then I pick up a thread of something I may enjoy. But when I follow it to its conclusion it oozes out into a cheesy, mediocre mess. I want more, and I want less. This sounds like a sketch in someone’s early career, as they’re fumbling through a composition that doesn’t quite live up to their aspirations. Reminds me of that one My Chemical Romance album. A for effort, but you just didn’t get there.

Not my cup of tea

New to me. In another life I might have liked it more.

Really cool one. However pretty meh, there were very strong vocals and really cool instrumental sections which I loved. However the songs were pretty long and they kinda all give off the same vibe, which makes a lot of them blend together. There was a really cool high note at the end of through a long and sleepless night. That sounded pretty cool however the rest of the album is just idk. And it’s like I don’t wanna listen to this full thing again it was already hard to get into. Really cool and happy I heard it but never need to return again.

Michael Bublé meets Pulp

Weird and creepy.

Loved it

Funny in parts, a decent crooner voice, but mostly too corny to for me to get into. I enjoyed A Short Album About Love from the Divine Comedy but not this one. 2 stars

It was like corny off-off-off-off-off-broadway musical theater. Or since they're British, off-off-off-off-West End. It is very well-performed, which saves it from being a 1 star. 2 stars.

A complete waste of time. Novelty nonsense. If we are going to include novelty, let’s put the master on the list: Weird Al Yankovic. Yankovic is way more hilarious than this lame act. This is really inessential. Just absolute dogshit. The horn arrangements and performances are the only redeemable thing on this album.

I have never heard of this band before and at number .7 and it was the first album I really struggled with. A lot of the music arrangements were good; it had a 60’s pop feel with a little 90’s mess but I found the songs difficult to digest. I’m going to be generous and assume that all the lyrics are satirical, but I feel if it’s hard to differentiate satire from genuine sentiment then it’s just perpetuating the thing it wants to mock. Apparently, a one of the band members wrote “My Lovely Horse” from Father Ted, so make of that what you will. Favourite song: The Dogs & the Horses Least favourite song: None

Gear: ZMF Auteur Classic LTD Shedua Artwork: 😎🚬🛥️ Production (2020 Remaster): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🤔❓😂 Rating: 🤡(🤡)/5

This grew on me as it went on but I don't see myself revisiting it.

Quite generous for these guys to get two appearances on the list. Like I said on the previous, I do like a crooner, but this effort is sillier. The posh voiceover notes push my score down on this one to a high 2. Songs of Love is a stand out song

Great fun

I much prefer this to A Short Album About Love. The (divine) comedy lands much better and when it doesn’t it's more than made up for with the dramatic, cinematic, romantic, sweeping orchestral arrangements which put me in a great mood. The songwriting shows an understanding of how to get the most out of both the band and the chamber instruments. Charge is particularly, elaborately unhinged. “BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!” There is a dark twistedness to Through A Long & Sleepless Night which also sounds barely in control emotionally. Fascinating. Neil Hannon’s aristocratic operatic vocal persona totally works on me. I am charmed.

Low 4 for today’s divine comedy, loads of fun and v grand

too weird for me

I really liked one of Divine Comedy's other album "A Short Album about Love" but this one doesn't strike me the same. Sounds a bit too pompous and overblown. There also is some monologue present throughout that just sounds so pretentious. The arrangements for all the songs are mixed, some are good, some are bad. Just this album is underwhelming and doesn't leave with much thoughts. I think I'd be fine with not hearing this album again. Nothing noteworthy was gained with this album. Just mostly meh to bad stuff Highlight Song/s: "Becoming More Like Alfie"

Did not enjoy.

Not terrible music but im not a crooner fan

i liked this!!

I came around to this more toward the end, but it is a weird one. Very literary, which I appreciate.

ts boring af. I don't care enough to give it a 1.

Hated them then Still hate them now

This guy has one okay idea for a line and stretches it out over a whole song. Over a whole album.

Reads reviews; pssht, all these yanks hating on British music. Oh, no, this is shit, fair enough.

When I refreshed the page and saw the album cover, I immediately thought "This must be one of those albums that BRITISH people need to hear before they die." Opened Wikipedia, saw the description and thought "Yup!" Then the music started and I thought "Wait, this sounds like that guy I hated so much last week." Read a little further on the Wikipedia page and got to this part: "Casanova exemplifies the influence of American singer-songwriter Scott Walker" and thought "Oh yeah, Scott Walker - that was his name. I HATED that album." This was not QUITE as bad as that Scott Walker album, so it gets an extra star. I can't believe somebody made this in 1996 and some people actually liked it. But to each his/her own, I guess. (About halfway through I was really wavering on the decision to give that extra star. I do not enjoy this music at all. I got to "A Woman of the World" and changed my mind - this can't be more than one star. But then I remembered Scott Walker. If I hadn't heard Scott Walker last week this would get one star. I struggled with this decision, as you can see.) EDIT: I have slept on it and changed my mind. This deserves one star.

The music and orchestration is top-notch, but I couldn't help but not take this seriously (which is maybe the point of The Divine Comedy)? That is to say, not for me, but interesting for a listen.

Ce gars là, il exagère.

Je suis pas sûr à quel degré faut prendre ça. Ça me fait penser à Eric Idle. Sans me faire rire. 2.49 étoiles

🤮😩🤢😡

Pompous, self-indulgent, pseudo-intellectual, and smug mess. Production is weird at best; the vocals are unnerving, the lyrics are fitting to the overall theme, but bad nonetheless.

This kind of snuck up on me, and I really enjoyed it. I don't typically enjoy music this theatrical, but there is something earnestly strange enough that it gets through to me. Without doing any real research, this feels like a combination of coroner stuff, easy listening, although rock, and a little avant garde. And the songs are good enough that The Divine Comedy manage to pull it off. I may need to listen to this more, I think I have more to say about it, but it's not coming to me tonight. Anyways, I was really surprised by this and enjoyed it a lot.

erhaps a bit too theatrical and cheesy for my taste, qualities that stand out especially in the lyrics and vocal performances enjoyable baroque pop, but that doesnt leave many memorable moments or align with my emotional sensibilities enough to not be overlooked.

Pompous, smug. The entire vibe is "Amn't I clever?". To which I say "no, you are not." This is much less than the sum of its influences - Scott Walker, The Associates, Kurt Weill. One star

I didn't know "chamber pop" was a thing. I do like pop/rock music that is mixed with strings and other instruments. This album is more on the lounge or theater side of things, especially with the baritone/crooner lead, so it's not quite my favorite but pretty decent.

I might like this more than the other Divine Comedy album, but still rounding down, because I’m stuck comparing Divine Comedy albums on this list. What are we even doing here, people?!

I can kind of squint and see how under other circumstances I might enjoy the retro lounge vibe - and even overlook the occasional date rapey lyric in the name of cheeky self-aware humor. But 1) the schtick wears thin after a while, 2) I'm not inclined to forgive the date rapey lyrics - there's too much of that shit on here when you throw in all the awful Jarvis Cocker this list has made me listen to, and 3) this mediocre talent is represented THREE times on this list if you count his other solo album and that shit Dagmar Krause album. Give me a fucking break.

I thought this was really rather dull, and very retro in styling.

sehr interessant

Brit/Ork Pop from the 90s. Not bad, but not really my thing.

Bwah

Chaos

Lyrically and musically interesting. I think I slightly prefer the other Divine Comedy album on here, as this one feels too snarky and cynical at times. But consider me a fan! I'm off to check out more of his stuff!

Favorite track: Through A Long & Sleepless Night What can I say? I like the cut of his jib.

love this weird ass album. its just bombastic enough to work perfectly.

Knew I was gunna hate this within the first 10 seconds.

Genuinely surprised this isn't a Sacha Baron Cohen character. "No means yes". Ewwwwwwwww

Is every song on this album about rape? What a psycho.

Not too bad

Why?

A return to britpop hell. I feel bad for the orchestra players who studied for so long just to be a part of this.it barely feels worth the production value. His voice is pretty decent, but it felt overwrought and just annoying. While there were parts I individually liked, it never came together for me.

4- / 10

What in the off off off off off Broadway is this?

10/10 no notes

This was fun. Don’t think they’re quite as intellectual as they’re pretending to be but it was good

Fav song: The Dogs & The Horses

Album 251. Casanova (https://open.spotify.com/album/0txgYRjymfL0U28aTEK6Qk?si=0QM1UK95TGaCTu0Rm_0glw) — The Divine Comedy (1996) The torture. One of the worst albums I've ever ever ever heard. 1/5 No liked songs

Previously unknown. Couldn't tell if this was jus really cheesy or a joke. He seemed serious and and that made it hard to take.

Man this guy sounds exhausting to be around

Good album, but a bit too knowing in places

First song is really nice actually The rest of the album is just not great and off putting.

Що це? Хто це? ))) Ну таке)

I compared the last Divine Comedy album I listened to to being sentenced to eternal hell. I think this album may be part of that punishment.

I think I really need to explore chamber pop as a genre. Every time one of the albums I have listened to here with that descriptor has been intriguing to me. This is no exception. There's just something about the melodrama and big feeling of the strings / orchestral instrumentation / divergence from verse-chorus-verse-bridge song structure I'm into, I think. The last two tracks on this album bring it from a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐ to ⭐⭐⭐.51. I hate doing fractional ratings that wind up the same as a full star, but such is the rating system here. ⭐⭐⭐.51

Color me unimpressed. I don’t at all enjoy this site’s opinion on plenty of albums (AC/DC’s “Back In Black” is much to high for the trash it is, whereas “Third” by Soft Machine is much too low, for no reason other than it being too weird for much of this site’s user base), but I agree with this site’s low score here. It’s doing Pulp but without the class commentary, or any of the wit. The vocals are mediocre and not at all stimulating, the songs seldom hold water, and the production SUCKS. The strings are weirdly mixed, and they sound so cheap. Songs that have good bones, such as “In & Out of Paris & London” are ruined by these things, yet most of these songs don’t even HAVE good bones. “Charge” has its moments, but sucks. “Middle Class Heroes” is an example of a song that is bad from the top down. But it is all bad. It’s bad. It’s bad. 3.3/10

Odd.

The Divine Comedy always struck me as being so very fucking pleased with just how very clever and funny they were. They dramatically overestimate themselves in this. It’s like a Scott Walker tribute album.

The Divine Comedy bravely ask, what if Jarvis Cocker were 50% more theatrical and 100% less catchy?

Great

Some people might like this kind of schtick, but not for me.

kind of feels like a father john misty/yard act combination. A little meta/on the nose. Way more theatrical/grand in presentation. I kind of like it?

The frog princess is peak wimsey

Babe are you ok? You hardly touched your mediocre Brit Pop ruined by some of the lyrics

Podia ser um musicalzito, gostei, mas não é para ouvir muitas vezes

Gostei do album. Bastante teatral. Acho que com mais atenção poderia ter dado 4. Para voltar a ouvir.

Not bad per se but felt more like parody than anything

Equal parts charm and cheese. Too long, but I actually didn't mind it

6.5

This list is simultaneously iconic albums and also albums that are just absurd and that’s why they’re on here

Bit weird but at least it's offering something new.

La verdad me gusto mucho en album, al principio no me gustaba casi nada pero conforme avanzaba mas me gustaba, tiene buen sonido, me gusta la produccion

Very special pop album. Mixture of classic music with typical brit pop elements.

Very strange and overbloated britpop that ticks a lot of the boxes but somehow sounds pretty good and is an easier listen to get into compared to other big britpop acts like blur or oasis. This group is Northern Irish too so yuck them loyalists. The only other album I've heard from the Generator/book that had a track based on introducing the band/record at the end was the Phil Spector Christmas album. That was very weird.

It took me a couple of songs to realize that this guy was serious, and not just doing a parody. Most of it was listenable: one-time and to a point. Next....

mogu cijeniti raznovrsnost pa i svojevrsnu vickastost, premda ne bih inače slušao... eto vam jedna pristojna trojka, tako

Really has a strong John Grant and Ron de Nijs vibe… Actually really liked this. It’s relaxed, funny, cheeky and the music composition and execution is good!

If I had not know they had more albums I would have assumed that this was a joke album. Hell, maybe the band is a joke band that found some success and they did not want to let people know that they were a joke band. Maybe their showing up on the list is a joke, all I know is that I don't want to be in on the joke. There are some songs that kind of seem like they are going to be good like Charge, but then I keep getting drawn into what the fuck is this and not in the good way like I was surprised by Tank Battles but more like how do they get record deals.

I somehow had no awareness of this album, so had no idea what to expect. The ratings are really low so I was somewhat dreading it. Turns out, it was a pleasant surprise. Comedic (sometimes actually funny), interesting, varied... and although tongue in cheek, an actually solid vocal/musical performance. Granted it did score some free points in my book for having prominent brass in several tracks. Also the Father Ted theme?!? Some tracks are pretty typical brit pop, some tracks sound like they're part of a stage show... it's definitely a bit all over the place. Probably one of the biggest negatives for me was the weird intros to some of the tracks. Honestly though, I actually quite liked it. Surprise 4. Favourite tracks: "Songs of Love", "Become More Like Alfie"

iii felt really uncomfortable listening to this. some people said it's comedy in the reviews but I got the impression of someone with a massive ego from the cover and the tone. I looked into it and found an interview where he claims it's a self-deprecating album, if that was obvious from the get go I might have enjoyed it The music itself ranged from boring to quite good and I particularly liked how grandeur Charge was even if the subject matter was extremely uncomfy. low 3

I'm really not bothered about "Baroque pop"

Just ok.

🎭 👎

Tbh made me chuckle. Winningly regressive

Poopoo garbage

just kept getting more annoying

There’s fantastic stuff here but it’s also really annoying. A kind of arrogant irony to it. It bothered me way back when and listening now as an adult I can hear it still. Some excellent songs but yeah. Something about the theatrical nature lands badly for me.

3/10

Continuously oscillating between “is this a joke?” and “wow, creepy lyrics.” This whole album feels like a gross old man’s sexual fantasy, and sometimes it’s downright rapey. I absolutely hated it.

No idea who this band is. So far it's coming off as Temu Morrissey which is somehow better than Morrissey but still not great. I mean it is a bit whimsical which I like but it just doesn't hit for me.

Good.

Well that was different. Did not appeal to me at all.

I think one The Divine Comedy on this list was plenty. I enjoyed the first one, this one, not so much.

Kinda boring, not my thing.

Show Tunes without the show. One can hope.

Not very good. Sounds like this should be a soundtrack to an awful play

Something not quite anything I can put my finger on. Pulp. Musical theatre. Shakespeare. Slimy men. One review said it’s a calling out of Casanova. It’s so weird. I can’t look away. And I will never listen again.

Lame and boring

What is this horrendous britslop?

I like them and their quirky takes on life; I just don't particularly seek out this sort of music to listen to. Also - two Divine Comedy albums so far, and no National Express yet. Does that mean there's more to come, or are listeners being denied their best-known track?

Somebody else said it best, that this album is like if David Bowie wrote a musical theatre album, but all the songs got jumbled out of order. They said it wasn't their speed, but it IS mine. So.... 4 stars.

Whatever the hell this is, I was just not in the right mood or mindset to be open to this today. Sounds like a comedian's parody of lounge music today. Not for me today.

A swaggering, smirking little chamber‑pop romp that keeps flipping from smooth to snarky just to amuse itself. Wow! What a ride...

Not entirely sure what that was. Had some interesting moments and a few catchy songs. But really not my bag.

The lead singer plays the part of an arrogant sexist named, appropriately, Casanova. (You will get the gist by the time you get to "The Frog Princess".) In that light, the album has its moments.

Firstly, to all the quarter-witted Americans in the reviews hating this just because it's BRITISH...The Divine Comedy are an IRISH band. There is a difference, you know. Anyway, love the references to Cold Comfort Farm and the general Carry On brand of comedy. Possibly not aged well in parts, but it would have been taken in the spirit intended at the time. Indeed, The Divine Comedy had a huge number of young female fans when this came out. There's a massive difference between Neil Hannon's attitude towards women and someone like Dr Octagon. The former is a rascal who will pursue you, but to whom you can say no and he'll accept that. Not so sure about Dr Octagon. Anyway, how The Divine Comedy got two albums on this list is a bit of a mystery, but as I said, they were popular at the time and it was good to hear this again.

Remarkable contrast from the cool cigarette smoking dude on the cover to the soft mellow songs on the album. Talk about misdirection. Didn't particularly appreciate this album. Partly because I expected something different, but also because it felt way too soft and "nice around the edges". Lack of danger and excitement is an understatement. Can't come up with a place this could be played where anyone would get offended. Not sure why, but decided to read the lyrics of 'Something for the Weekend'. Quite interesting turn of events I must say, so the record gained at least some regard due to that. Still, it's not my jam and won't save it for me.

I’m not really sure what this aimed to be. At times it felt like a pastiche of 90s indie music like Pulp. Other times it just felt very poppy. Nothing really for me to want to listen to it again.

Pretty cool stuff, sort of baroque pop-y at times but there's just too much filler here

This was an odd album. It seemed to sit somewhere between an indie rock album and a collection of show tunes. I feel like if it was a tad more experimental it would have been more interesting.

Not really sure what that was all about. One of the reviews suggested it was some kind of Pulp-esque fusion which caught my attention but unfortunately it had all of the bad bits of Pulp and none of the things I like.

Зачем вы меня мучаете

Noting of interest here.

It’s … not good. Something for the weekend is by far the standout.

Honky shit

Sonido muy 90s, sonido poco arriesgado. Siento que los temas se parecen mucho entre si, me aburre un poco. La voz del chabon tampoco es muy de mi agrado. es un 5.5/6 de 10 muy mid

Welp, it sounds like they're doing exactly what they want to do and getting their ideal sound down. The Frog Princess was honestly a pleasant listen. I think it'd be nicer if they copied more about the Beatles than just the goofiest sounding McCartney songs, and had more diverse lyric subjects. But I like it more than Pulp, at least.

Bit Bowie, Bit Disney villain, Bit Eurovision ballad. All of these are compliments. Not sure why I liked it so much. I think I know it’s a bit shite but that might be why I liked it? Got better as it went. Songs of Love is a tune.

I have to say this album's strange charm really grew on me. I appreciated how unapologetically weird this thing is. Great voice, wish he talked less and sang more but oh well. Enjoyed this one!

Not bad but doubt I would listen again

David Bowie meets Neil Diamond meets a full bag mushrooms

Back to back divine comedies. This one was better than the last

This record just gets better as it goes on. Phenomenal!

I love the Divine Comedy, Neil Hannon is in my top lyricists of all time. This album is full of great songs and ideas. Slightly weaker in the second half before the end, but still a fab collection of tunes.

Scott Walker after a stint at comedy school.

accidentally gave this 4 stars

This is a bit funky but not for me

mid

are you a bad person if you like this kind of music? probably not. nonetheless, do i find this kind of music utterly, excessively offensive to the senses? with every ounce of my being, yes

Dimery was a theatre kid. I was driving home and it struck me, this music is like a baroque pop version of Muse. If, instead of orchestration this was heavy space-rock distorted guitars and bass it would straight up be Muse. Like most of these choices, they get better with repeated listens. Invest some time, it's all really well done. I don't know if The Divine Comedy deserves 2 records on the list, but Costello has 6 so I obviously don't know shit from shinola.

nice

I really didn't like this. Its cool chamber pop. It feels like it might be a concept album of sort? IDK. It wasn't really landing for me.

i love lentils, beans, seaweed and rice. not for me at all. i’m not sure it’s for anyone, so many other albums could’ve taken its place on the list.

3.5

C'est pas bon ça criss

Father ted saved the album

I did not care for this album at all. The lyrics were weird and it didn't even sound fun. I don't understand how this made the list of 1001 albums to listen to before you die, but at the very least I can say I listened to it.

I'd never heard of them before but didn't mind listening to the album. Enough creativity and variation to keep me interested.

After watching a C4 'Music of the millennium' awards when Neil Hannon said he thought Queen were a joke band, I have harboured somewhat of a resentment towards someone whose band has the word 'comedy' in it. Nevertheless there is undoubted musicality, craft and subtlety in his work and this, his third album has the hallmarks of Scott Walker's early albums in it. I just don't associate this stuff with the Great Britpop boom and feel it's been done better. Sorry Neil, but don't slag off my favourite band!

Why.

Felt like I was on the receiving end of a very long and elaborate joke. These were clearly failed drafts for a musical that was never made.

Alright alright hear me out, the mix of orchestral and britpop actually works pretty damn well here. I found the arrangements to be consistently engaging throughout the album. There are some horrifically sleazy parts from time to time, but they're also so over-the-top that they're hard to really take seriously. I had a better time than I originally expected, and wouldn't hate to listen again. Standouts: Something For the Weekend • Becoming More Like Alfie • The Frog Princess • A Woman of the World

I don't have too much to say about this album except that the review that says it sounds like a Pulp parody album will be living in my head forever. It had my attention with the first song, which i thought was creative and funny, but very quickly spun out into oddly rapey bullshit.

Couldn’t finish it that’s how fucking shit this album is

Two tracks in, I thought I might like this album. Perfectly acceptable glam pop. After that, it takes a nosedive. Mostly corny "tough guy" showtunes. Also, the singer seems like an aggressive sex pest. Pass.

If axe body spray and neon ground effects on a Honda Civic personified made an album. This makes me think of my favorite tweet: Welcome to Chuck E. Cheese. Everything is visibility dirty and our mascot is a rat. Have some pizza near a sneezing child.

Ikke horribelt, men virkelig ikke min greie.

Syns musikken var kjip og vanskelig å høre på.

Helt uinteressant før, under og etter lytting. Charge er både den mest interessante og den mest irriterende sangen. Skjønner ikke hvorfor denne plata er på lista.

Massive creep vibes. These guys are way too old to be constantly sexualizing teenagers. Not to mention the romanticization of rape, coercion and emotional manipulation. Even taken as a “critique” of pop culture’s version of Casanova, this album seems to encourage these icky behaviours much more than warn against them.

At first, I was thinking how the slip-something-in-your-drink description is accurate. Then I read more about the album, and discovered how it's a concept album about an 18th century Venetian guy called Giacomo Casanova. And how it’s a bunch of critique of the slimy behaviour Songs of Love has a nice swing to it. I like Theme from Casanova. Site node: National Express (not on this album) is a fun song Originally at the start before learning more, I was thinking a lower rating… like a 2/5... But damn I didn't expect the shift away from the recurring theme at the end with The Dogs & the Horses. Was unexpected and sad and good. And the theme makes sense now with the concept album-ness. Surprising boost up. A memorable album The more energy I put into an album, the more I tend to like it or appreciate parts I wouldn't have. A more general thing to remember for life 4/5

Surprisingly good, wow.

It's been about a year and a half since I listened to A Short Album About Love, and I remember enjoying how many jokes Neil Hannon could pen for a sweeping love-themed orchestral pop album. To no surprise, the preceding Divine Comedy record, Casanova, is also a joke-filled orchestral pop affair, largely themed around sex. Whether it's the sexual advance of the narrator leading to his getting beaten and robbed on "Something for the Weekend", the struggles with love for the womanizer on "Becoming More Like Alfie", the ludicrous wartime analogies of "Charge", the sexual plight of the adolescent male on "Songs of Love", or the flip on a fairy tale story with "The Frog Princess", Neil Hannon breaks out one quip after another with a schmaltzy delivery, while providing the orchestral arrangements himself alongside co-producer and drummer Darren Allison. Neil certainly presented a cross between Scott Walker, sexual deviant, and pure theater kid energy. Why else would he include an end credits song in "Theme from Casanova", if not to play into the camp of it all? Much like with A Short Album About Love, the humor is very subjective, and not every line's gonna land well, such as with the reliance on a few French stereotypes on "The Frog Princess". Plus, the album ends on a completely different note from the other songs, as "The Dogs & the Horses" is a rather melodramatic musing on death, accompanied by a large orchestral ensemble. I certainly liked it, but it did feel incongruent with the sexual nature of the preceding record. At the end of the day, Casanova is another witty album from The Divine Comedy that I wound up enjoying.

Supposedly influenced by Scott Walker. I can hear it. It's equally as unlistenable as Scott Walker.

almost as good as the wonka (2023) soundtrack

I have genuinely never heard of The Divine Comedy before, but i guess that’s because they never really hit it big in Germany. That album cover is amazing, though. Anyways, i had no expectations going into it. Halfway through the album i realized i have no idea what Casanova is aiming to be - it has some comedic qualities (especially those terrible pieces of „dialogue“ in some songs), but the production goes all out with an orchestral backing in other parts, while Hannon’s vocals come across as dead-serious, though powerful and attention-grabbing. Is this a parody of Britpop? The self-seriousness of large parts of 90s music in general? Maybe that would explain why the album in parts leans very heavily into kitsch and pastiche - both things i can enjoy but that left me quite puzzled in this instance. Maybe it would also explain the misogynistic tones in some of the lyrics (I really have no idea what to make out of Cannon and that terrible line „Everybody knows that no means yes“). And that could work if the actual music itself would commit to the idea, but it is so self-serious that at no point did i get the impression that the Casanova in question was a character meant to criticize and parody - yeah, it’s sort of hinted at here and there but doesn’t really feel like a through-line. There’s probably some cultural context i’m missing that would paint a clearer picture.

Boring and forgettable.

This is a really strange choice for this band. By far their cringiest record.

Honestly not sure if this meant to be a sincere interpretation or more tongue in cheek, but it's so well done and unique that it holds up regardless.

i used to really like these, but then i didn't - and i had forgotten why. happy to re-visit, but i now remember why i stopped listening. just too much.

Fun. I could see getting more into it upon repeat listening

Goofy. Did not enjoy.

I felt very uncomfortable listening to this, but maybe that’s the point.

J'ai un peu de mal avec cette album. Pas un album sur lequel je reviendrai

Kinda good! Sounded alot like Bowie : )

Little bit of bowie, little beatles little elo. Its just alot of influences and for mea at least not a ton of substance. Its not horrible dont get me wrong. It just doesnt have alot going for it for me. Fine enough while its on but nothing special. Its not bankrupt or anything just dont vibe I guess. Meh is about all I got.

The fun show tunesy type sound was a pretty welcome change, even if they didn't have as much charisma to really pull it off

Not sure I agree that this belonged to the Alternative genre. Kinda boring - felt like I was in JC Penneys.

2.5, like it's kind of annoying and I skipped some songs but there's also n ice songs, and charge is really good hahaha

No private session used for Spotify. Too dramatic and lounge-ish for me. Add "chamber pop" to the growing list of genres that this site has showed me I don't like. Hearing the original "Songs of Love" was interesting.

Pretty cool album. Very story-like. Becoming More Like Alfie and The Frog Princess were my favorites. 6.5/10

I’m not against concept albums but when they don’t hit then they can be rough and this did not hit. I wish I was hit hard enough to forget about this.

Why does he keep talking to me.

Listened to this some time ago and forgot to review, what I remember of it was that it was theatrical and weird, but not grating or annoying. I felt like it was a concept album for someone who isn't me. General memory of it is vague but positive, so feels like a 2.5 rounded down for being unmemorable.

Chamber pop for the Brit pop set. I quite liked the first few songs but it quickly started to blend together for me until maybe the very last song. Still, a worthy effort.

Fun. Makes me feel like I'm inside a children's novel. It almost has a musical theater vibe to it.

He’s sort of a Britpop Tom Jones singing some fairly cringeworthy lyrics. The music itself sounds nice enough, but I’m not a fan of the subject matter. It goes on way too long as well. Maybe one track could be fun in a Britpop mix, but a whole album isn’t necessary. Not as witty as it thinks it is.

Intelligent funny pop crooning

This is just delightful Ignore the reviews where irony and humour have bypassed the listener. Its only getting a 4 cos its not the best DC album.

Today was is a bit confusing. I'm not convinced I actually like the album, it has an unsettling distastefulness lyrically, and is kind of comedy kitsch but not kitschy enough... IAnyway, some of the stories kind of cut through/are confronting because of a kind of carefree 'give no fucks' honesty. 7: the Frog Princess is one of those. (I carry a fear of Stoneheartedness) . 9: Through a Long and Sleepless Night, for both the words but also probably the track I liked most musically speaking. I chose 11: Dogs & Horses as favourite track on the album as it's an anthemic reminder to make the most of life. It could almost be something to carry in a breast pocket, like a picture of a Queen Anne Chair.

Didn't grab me. Not a very focused listen unfortunately. I found it thoroughly uninteresting and so slightly tuned out without meaning to. Something about the lyrical delivery bugged me I think. At the end I think something a bit more musical and ambitious was happening, so I might have missed a trick there.

a bit too Theatre for me ...some nice tunes but over all tries and fails to be funny

An arrogant sound that the songs don't back up

Not really a fan.

I'm not quite sure why this is on this list but it was at least a cohesive concept album about womanizing. The first song was quite good.

I don't know what this is, but it isn't very good.

Who listened to this and thought, everyone has got to listen to this before they die?

Always had a soft spot for the Divine Comedy (probably the Father Ted connection) and National Express was a stone cold classic. On this album I have always liked Something For the Weekend and Becoming More Like Alfie, but not really much else.

This is too much theatrical for me. Some of the songs were quite pleasant with a touch of the Noel Coward. "Songs of Love" has a nice sound with pretty music, can see why this was chosen as the "Father Ted" theme tune.

Ähnlicher Eindruck wie bei deren anderem Album neulich.

I thought I didn't like the divine comedy and this album only served to reaffirm that. I just don't get it. Are they supposed to be funny? They certainly aren't good. The leaf singer's voice is annoying and posh. One review stated they're like a Pulp parody. I certainly see that. A really terrible one

The sort of tunes I might enjoy if I was holding up a sign saying "Down with this sort of thing"

Sleazy trash, wtf is this shit? Absolutely did not need this before dying. I need a restraining order against this album.

I've listened to Neil Hannon on a couple of non-music podcasts and he's clearly a lovely chap who speaks interestingly about a range of things. Because of that I wish I liked his music a bit more. It seems a shame that someone so nice produces stuff I just don't like very much on the whole. I did quite enjoy the instrumental theme at the end of the album – almost a bit of Belle and Sebastian style thing going on there. And there are vibes of that in places, a band I adore. But Hannon's vocals just don't do the thing Murdoch does I'm afraid. Obviously this is largely tongue in cheek I guess, but the theme isn't something I can really get on board with either. So not really for me.

Great orchestral pop! Released at same time as the big britpop wave, it's not very similar, but reminds one more of Scott Walker. Just a little bit of diversity in the style here and there would've been cooler.

This was overall ok. Some moments were pretty clear knockoffs of Scott Walker, but there was enough here to like overall. 3/5

I really liked the composition and production, but I only liked a few of the songs.

Pretty decent. Maybe not something I would go back too often, but its theatricality is fun and engaging

The instrument usually pop more than the vocal in some songs conceptually not a bad album but overall 3.1/10

Bom até

Lovely.

I didn't even mind the other Divine Comedy album on here, but two is pushing it and this is just not as good. Well-produced though.

Rv

slightly annoying at times but has some good horns

As much of a performance or presentation as an album, this one is a swing and a miss for me. Bombastic, musical, singer's voice is actually kind of fun, and at least it doesn't take itself too seriously, which is fortunate as far as that goes. Took a couple spins for me to be able to acknowledge that there is something here worth knowing, just not going to need to come back for this.

the introduction alone subtracts a point. he seems awful and creepy. i feel like i'm being date raped. if i could give 0s, i'd give one Would I listen again: god please no Deserves to be on this list: absolutely not 0.4

So I made a joke the second I saw the genres that this was "reheating Scott Walker's nachos". It actually was. Also this album is ungodly horny; unable to decide whether or not that's a benefit. This is so UK-coded it's not even funny. "Songs of Love" sounds like Sufjan. Pretty cool.

We all mean No means Yes....I don't really care if this is 'comedy.' Its a joke unless she means it right? Maybe I'll kill her...violence against women is hillarious. F@ck off man I am really over this list and their need to promote disgusting men and disgusting 'jokes' as art. Its not funny...no means no, no more of this crappy men who think they are artsy and funny and that gives them license to be disgusting creatures. Also F@ck this project for encouraging people to listen to these albums and giving them a listens to their music that should be long forgotten.

This was a real cringe fest. Is the whole concept some mega horny guy who thinks he's a real Casanova but is really a bumbling fool? I guess he succeeded if that’s the case. Regardless, this music is genuinely terrible.

Something for the Weekend - 3/5 Becoming More Like Alfie - 2/5 Middle-Class Heroes - 3/5 In & Out of Paris & London - 2/5 Charge - 1/5 Songs of Love - 3/5 The Frog Princess - 3/5 A Woman of the World - 3/5 Through a Long & Sleepless Night - 3/5 Theme From Casanova - 2/5 The Dogs & the Horses - 2/5 Average score: 2.5/5 ⭐️⭐️ is it just me, or do some of these songs sound kinda creepy with all that "no means yes" talk in the lyrics? i never had high hopes going into this album, but i sure as hell didn't expect to feel the need to cover my drink listening to this rapey lyrics aside, i didn't find this album all that interesting, though i'll admit the songs vastly improved in quality once i reached the halfway point. i don't think this belongs in the rank of the worst albums on this list, but it's definitely not among the best

I genuinely got upset when this album got recommended. I have already heard another one from this band and I didn't like it, so my expectations were incredibly low. In addition, I've being feeling very stressed today, so having to listen to this didn't help improving my mood. Fortunately, once I stopped worked and I felt more relaxed, I gave it another chance and it wasn't that bad. Still not good, but at least I wasn't feeling as it was the worst thing ever. As his following album, "A Short Album About Love" (the one I have heard), this is a try to be funny and grandiose Chamber Pop. What carries the record is the orchestral instrumentation, as the vocals can get incredibly tedious. At worst, he is a Scott Walker wannabe (another artists I can't say I really like), having an incredibly pretentious and irritating voice, and at best, his singing is just decent. The lyrics also do anything for me. Some people point them out as funny, but I do not find anything slightly humorous. Coming back to the instruments, while way better, they weren't doing anything that grabbed my attention. Some nice melodies, but nothing astonishing or truly memorable. Furthermore, this album is 50 minutes long and 20 minutes longer than the following one, so it is expected I liked this even less.

Good

One of the best works I've listened from this collection

Something for the Weekend 3 Becoming More Like Alfie 3.3 Middle-Class Heroes 3 In & Out of Paris & London 3.2 Charge 3.3 Songs of Love 3.1 The Frog Princess 3.3 A Woman of the World 3.5 Through a Long & Sleepless Night 3.4 Theme from Casanova 3.4 The Dogs & the Horses 3 Score: 3.227272727

Can't tell if the tongue in cheek cheesiness is purposeful or not. Fine if so, a bit creepy if not. Fine overall, but top 1000???

There were some interesting moments, but that’s really all I can say about it.

buen album para ir caminando por la calle con aura

not a fan

It’s pretty pedestrian as it is, but the fact that this came out in the 90s makes it even worse. It’s mid-tier baroque pop with lyrics that seem to take themselves very seriously but come off as only camp and witless snark.

Saw these live a few years ago in Switzerland and he did his playlist in alphabetical order! I like a lot of it but a lot of it is just alright!

Scott Walker if he smirked more.

Never heard of them before 1. Oh lord, interesting start with something for the weekend 2. Good vanilla bop 3. Oh no, it's another pervy vampire song 3. 15 seconds in: Pedo vampire???? 4. Back to vanilla bop 5. Stoopid pervy vampire again in black face 6. I'm kind of over this... It's a concept album for sure but good God there are some that just shouldn't be released.

Wow (and not in a good way). This band does every track like it’s a show tune. Cool if you’re in the mood for show tunes, I guess. But annoying if you’re not in the mood for show tunes, don’t know the show, and suspect you would not like the show if it were an actual show. A 1.

Is this a joke? Why would anyone need to listen to this?