Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Bleh...really nothing interesting about this at all. 1.5/5
Very theatrical, musically very interesting, probably wouldn't listen to it very often but not bad
Fascinating concept, fun lyrics
4.5/5
3.5/5
The Divine Comedy remain one of the most unfairly overlooked acts of their time. They were never as "cool" as some of their indie contemporaries, nor were they ever as widely popular as the Britpop bands of the time. Their Chamber Pop stylings and witty lyricism meant that their sound was often seen as pretentious by the larger public and relegated them to cult band status. Personally, I think they are absolutely fantastic. I love the arrangements, the humour and overall ultra-britishness of it all. The very pronounced 60's Scott Walker influence does help, as he is one my favourites, although I did discover Neil Hannon and co. first. This album is probably their most accessible and presents the greatest balance between their more poppy and baroque moments. Wholeheartedly recommended. Key tracks: Something for the Weekend Becoming More Like Alfie Songs of Love The Frog Princess A Woman of the World
That had to be parody...right? This is ham. Talented, over the top ham.
This was... interesting. I didn't overall enjoy it but it was definitely a breath of fresh air.
Hard work. As always with The Divine Comedy great in small doses but a whole album is way too much. A couple of cracking songs though.
Quite pleasant to listen to, and I liked the 'Songs of Love' track, and a few others, but overall it's rather boring and unremarkable.
Wicked corny, but in a fun way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LvkM-Wp2iI
Utter, pretentious, claptrap. Was this supposed to be a comedy album? A Noel Coward tribute band? I did a lot of laughing. Mainly at the compositional awkwardness, curious arrangements and choice of "instruments". Another 50 minutes of my life wasted. 1/5. Why can't I give this zero?
Estranhamente, caso o disco tenha se inspirado na história do Casanova, ficou resultado bem sem graça.
I think this is the album that defines my teenage years the most. It was the first time I had heard a song (something for the weekend) that had made me want to hear more from that artist. I had the album artwork poster on my wall (the only other poster I had was the Reservoir Dogs one). I got sunglasses that looked just like the ones Neil wears. I like my music quirky and dramatic, and this fits the bill perfectly.
Some sly humour but the songs and delivery belong in a musical. It sounds very theatrical. Not to my taste.
2 sterne
Weird but oddly intriguing. Imagine the Killers was a band in early 90s Europe. If you like that sort of thing, dive right in. Maybe you like Belle and Sebastian too? We probably would speak to each other at parties, but wouldn't ever be close friends. I just see you a lot because you went to university with Cathy and you probably bonded over shared experiences on your impressionable years. Sometimes I think about you but I'm not sure why. I don't think I particularly like you, but then why do I think about you at all. Three stars?
Ended up enjoying it more than I thought by the first 10 seconds. It definitely has its own unique personality Rating: 3.6
this album is woefully underrated, 2.69 at the time of review. It is filled to the brim with witty couplets, ridiculous innuendo, it's beautifully camp and has a bucket full of catchy tunes alongside the brilliant "Songs of Love", would you like cup of tea?
Well that was different. Kinda like someone trying to be Frank Sinatra, but missing by a mile.
Has the sound of someone trying way too hard to impress on karaoke night. Talented, but absolutely nothing here I feel like I HAD to hear.
Lyrically funny, like a pompous musical performance. I would have liked to have a second listen.
I kinda liked the opening track, Something for the Weekend, but it gradually went downhill from there. Not sure why someone would want to make an album of this type of music. Didn't hate it, though.
Yet another album where I respect what they’re doing - lots of cool and weird layered sounds going on - but it doesn’t grab me. Feels very of its time, laying the groundwork for later alternative sounds.
Brittipoppia joka on musikaalimaista, mutta ihan menevää. Oli kyllä ihan hyviäkin kappaleita. Parhaat: Becoming More Like Alfie, Songs Of Love, A Woman of the World
Was this supposed to be a rock opera? It felt like the soundtrack to a bad musical. Hard pass.
This is a 3 album for me, one of those that maybe would go to a 4 if I listened to it a few more times. Some catchy tunes throughout.
If I made my own 1001 albums list, it would absolutely contain some terrible stuff that I personally adored, and I’m convinced that’s why albums like this one are on the list. I skipped the last two songs.
Не мое
Really terrible
Pretty much as bad as I was expecting. The worst part is that some people may think this is representative of British music!
Odd choice for the list from alternative albums in this era. Best album of the 90s? - not even close. Best Britpop album? - insult to Oasis, Pulp, Supergrass, Radiohead, Cast etc. Best Britpop album of 1996? - long way behind Bluetones, Placebo, Shed Seven, Ocean Colour Scene, Longpigs, Ash, Kyla Shaker etc. Best Britpop album of 1996 that features a song called Something for the weekend? - sorry, that goes to Super Furry Animals! I love the first song and the second song is good. The rest, not much so.
As I recall, this sort of worked its niche as some kind of thinking man’s Brit pop at the time. But it all seemed rather like an in-joke of some kind that I didn’t really care for much. Nearly 30yrs later it still all feels a bit silly. Over the top Scott Walker affected vocals that just sound a bit Mike Flowers after a while (I wonder what is actual singing voice is like). The music I guess is well thought through, but how much 60s lounge music can you stand. The content is all a bit too Terry Thomas, even straying a bit metoo in one place, guess this does align with the 90s stylings of Brand somewhat. Or was it ironic, probably kinda meant to be, but not totally in reality. It wasn’t terrible as such, the first couple of songs (the singles I think) are OK, but it all just gets a bit tiresome and annoying after a while.
Is this really on this list, I thought they were a comedy act, like the wurzzles or raw sex. Pants.
Wow. I really enjoy the divine comedy! who knew they'd be a fun poppy band I'd listen to more of.
Clever but maybe too much for its own good. The joke is well sustained for most of this, the spiky and drily nostalgic (ironic?) music makes sense. Best cuts: "More Like Alfie," "In and Out," "The Frog Princess." Overall, strong and enjoyable, but, still, two records by this lot seems a bit much (much like the overall undertaking) for this list (this would be the one to keep).
Hipster Orchestral Rock is a pretty niche genre, but it's pretty cool. I got Rocky Horror Picture Show vibes from this. It was like listening to the soundtrack of a musical that doesn't actually exist. I rename the band Tran-Siberian Dork-estra, but I really liked it. The Frog Princess was the standout for me.
I can’t help but thinking that this is what Dr. Frankenfurter would sound like if he made a 90s chamber pop album. I was consistently put off by the gross creeper stuff, begging for kisses etc. Weird but not in a good way.
This is on the same level as Scott Walker - god awful. It’s some cheesy lounge act that’s trying to be serious. Even the Thom Yorke-looking-dude on the album cover can’t be taken seriously as a “Casanova”.
I honestly have no idea what it is that I just listened to.
all over the place
This left me with so many questions
Would've been a 3-star album if not for the terrifying laughter in the first track.
I LOVE PRETTY MUSIC!!! beautiful album by a wonderful northern irish musician. Love this man and love this album.
Ever seen reading Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy I have tried to find another fictional novel as funny… it doesn’t exist. Comedy rarely works outside of stand up and movies. I think the same is true of music. Casanova is slightly to over the top for me. 5.5/10
I enjoyed the first part then the concept wore off after a while.
Bowie esque style. Some sings reminded me of The National. Overall not terrible but nothing jumped out at me or wowed me. Will not listen to again
3 Very polarizing. Some real bad songs on here but I also kinda liked it
I’m going to put exactly as much effort into reviewing this album as there is quality music on it.
I recognized the name The Divine Comedy as the band responsible for backing Ute Lemper on the astoundingly bad ‘Punishing Kiss’, so I feared this album was going to be on par with that garbage. I was pleasantly surprised to find this is mostly unremarkable, kinda weird acoustic-tinged chamber pop with a vocalist who I don’t like, but who isn’t nearly as aggressive as Ute. “In & Out of Paris & London” almost sounds like it could be a Magnetic Fields song and was my favorite on the album. I also liked the instrumental half of “Theme to Casanova”. Solid 4/10.
Someone somewhere is going to love this Casanova back. It's a strong, particular flavor this. Not to my taste though I can recognize it has idiosyncratic pleasure to offer.
I couldn't take it. This sounded like the worst attempt at creating mildly offensive show tunes. Not a single thing works on this album
I have rated this high not because I particularly like the album, but because it certainly is a different kind of music and thus has its own peculiarities and style.
Not my jam, a discount version of David Bowie but non really really bad
Bowie vibe that was fun but not really memorable.
Mixed feelings on this - I really liked the instrumentals and wacky energy on this one but did not like the creepy lyrics. I understand that it's meant to be jokingly creepy but it still came off as creepy to me.
бодрее чем предыдущий, многие мелодичные, можно продолжить)
Hyvää musisointia osa, vähemmän passelia osa. Tarvitsee ehkä lisää kuuntelua.
Never heard of this singer before. The pop sounds and occational almost bossa nova like singing makes for an album that is easy to listen to. Good album throughout.
3.4
Uh what
Britpop 1996
‘90s Brit pop singer-songwriter jam masquerading as artsy loungey dancehall smoothness. There’s creativity here, and cleverness, but the overall effect is corny and deeply, deeply irritating. The worst thing about it is the lengths to which the singer goes to make his voice sound affected.
You can make a clear connection between this album and "A Short Album About Love", which I really liked and enjoyed. Unfortunately, Casanova is just a step on a path to achieve greatness, and that step is pretty massive. Orchestral and baroque elements are very sparse and underdeveloped, even vocal is a bit afraid of going all the way, like you're supposed to do with this genre. Good album, but a bit of a let down, when listened to out of the sequence.
Niente di eccezionale
I get that it’s supposed to be funny, maybe even high brow in its own way. I get that it’s a character (I mean it’s titled “Casanova,” after all). I get it. It’s just a bummer that that shtick was pretty off putting. The music was actually pretty great. But the conceited and schmoozey tone of it all, even if it’s supposed be funny, just didn’t land with me. The music, as I said, is cool. Felt like it was trying to push boundaries in terms of pop music. Good chamber pop, as Wikipedia calls it. But on the whole? Kinda cringe, not for me. Two stars. Standout Tracks: Becoming More Like Alfie, Charge, The Frog Princess, The Dogs & The Horses
This is fine, but aside from the eccentric and playful nature of the tracks it didn't really move me. Love the Ben Folds cover (haha).
Was this a joke? Did someone lose a bet? Surely there must be a logical explanation for whatever this was.
👎👎👎👎👎
Not my vibe
This is just terrible and to the brink of annoying to listen to. Not my jam
This is weird in the good sense and fun. More on the nose catchy than say the scott walkers that inspired it (I've only heard 4, on this list) and shadow puppets that it inspired. I like the ambition of just doing stuff like this, although everything that has been called chamber pop thus far has not really earned the coolness that this name suggests. Inexplicable some of the low reviews of this, there is a share of egregiously boring stuff on this list, but this ain't it.
fun album but got repetitive
The guitar tone is quite well mixed and that’s the only good thing I can say about this album. Annoying vocals, like a Bowie/Morrisey wannabe. Boring songs that don’t build up, too wordy. There are no hooks. Not sure why this should belong on the list. Do I have to be a Brit to understand it?
Ну ладно, очень даже неплохо. Текста интересные, музыка грандиозна, но приземленна к слушателям. Мелодии въедаются.
Very good The singles are great and the songs that are album tracks sound like a great musical. Closer is great but the highlights are Something for the Weekend and Songs of Love. 4ish baby
Wow, this is... something. Very campy, I *think* intentionally? I hope. Odd references to Cold Comfort Farm & A Tale of Two Cities. Whomever said it sounds like a bad (Casanova) musical with songs out of order is right on. It certainly stays on (the Casanova) theme. No idea why this is on the list. Not a 1 simply because if I don't pay attention, it's not always terrible, the orchestration is fine, but I don't ever need to hear it again. I'm pretty sure I maintained a look of disgust anytime I actually listened to the lyrics. His singing is more cheese than anything else, not unskilled, but not serious.
I have always loved Neil Hannon's voice and lyrics. I remember the chart success they had with National Express back in the day. I have never really listened to the back catalogue which I will now fix. Stand out tracks: - Something for the weekend - Becoming more like Alfie - In & Out of Paris & London - The Frog Princess - The dogs and the horses
This is like if a guy who does David Bowie covers decided to release an album but didn’t want to drop the Bowie impersonation. It’s not unbearable, it just doesn’t hit me as something special by any means.
..
Definitely not my cup of tea.
Dirty old man, the soundtrack.
This was bizarre. His voice was Bowie-like but…cheesier? Some of the songs were very strange, but some of them were pretty good. It was comme ci, comme ca for me. Solid 3
Dumb album, would never listen again.
It gives me lounge singer vides and is absolutely delightful. A bit bizarre and absurd at times I thought it was fun all the way through. I thought I was going to give it four stars, but why be stingy. Full marks.
It's fine
Todellinen komedia ja elämän ironioiden vyyhtö kissat ja koirat ylpeinä tähdittämmässä, nostamassa ARTIFICIALLY MANIPULATING THE GLOBAL AVG... Sirkus finlundia keissi sinne mennään saa tälläistä laadukasta maukasta eleganttia taidetta... Taidetta.. Kansantaidetta.... irstaat vuodet.....
Well this was unexpected! I absolutely loved this album. I had never heard of it or the band before and based on the reviews, I approached the album with some trepidation. I REALLY loved this album. It sounded like something that would happen if David Bowie and Mike Oldfield put on an Andrew Lloyd Webber style musical. LOVED IT and so glad this made the list! Its what the challenge is all about.
I nearly didn’t make it through this one, not my thing at all. Awful Bummed that the recent few weeks of albums is bringing down my average rating
Solid kinda fun
Nothing special. Didn't hate. Didn't like. 2.5/5
SOOOOO GOOD. There are so many great and clever compositional and arranging ideas on here I could go on for ages about it, but th tl;dr is very lavish arrangements, excellent tone coloring and contrast, and tons of interesting voice leading and contrapuntal ideas- even when its just following the main melody the great orchestration helps a lot. So many hooks, this is like a guidebook on pop melody construction! Ugggghhh I need to write long-form about this sometime. This actually feels quite American for a Brit album- like a very English version of California by Mr. Bungle, or Duke Ellington and Jimmy Durante (less jazzy but still that sort of traditional American pop tradition) with a Cardiacs-esque twist. Plus the lyrics are witty and hilarious.
I don’t know, pretty unremarkable and obviously never made a big impact. A Woman of the World was good though
- Das erste mal, dass ich von The Divine Comedy gehört habe war von Jan Böhmermann im Podcast, der bekennender Fan ist. Hört man auch irgendwie - Habe bis zu diesem Album noch nie was davon gehört. Das wird sich auch nach diesem Album wohl nicht groß ändern. - Die beiden Hits "Something for the Weekend" und "Songs of Love" sind schon ganz witzig aber ich war ehrlicherweise doch eher gelangweilt von der ganzen Geschichte 2,5/5
Is this a joke? Comedy is in their name so maybe the whole thing is supposed to be satire? It's like the soundtrack to a musical that I do not want to see. My ears feel dirty.
Pop, 1996 -> 2
I’ve been wondering for a while how to rate this. It’s an extremely lavish album in the style of Scott Walker, bolstering a classic britpop sound with something far more theatrical and orchestral and, as the album title maybe implies, is just incredibly horny. There is a very tongue in cheek approach to the blatant chauvinism that almost redeems it, like the singer is playing dress up at being this archetypal ladies man rather than actually believing it, and that makes it a much easier pill to swallow. The epic baritone throughout is really impressive and there are some really fun passages, and even though I kind of hate the whole thing it’s also very good actually
A beautifully orchestrated masterpiece with brilliant and sharp lyricism thru out.
Alright, what the hell is this? RESISTING THE URGE TO READ ABOUT IT BEFORE LISTENING... here we go... imagining myself seeing this at a record store, not gonna buy it based on the cover alone... plus who calls themselves "Casanova?" Later, after buying an Oasis album or something, I go to a friend's house and they HAPPEN TO HAVE CASANOVA's "The Divine Comedy" (and you thought Jethro Tull was pretentious) and I'm like, "Well, I guess we should listen to this." My fictional friend only has this album because he's a DJ at the local non-profit alternative radio station and everyone at the station has to review a few LPs before they play them. Record companies give these away to radio stations in hopes that the station will put it on their playlist. Alternative radio gets to be independent and play stuff that they judge to be worthy, unlike commercial radio, whole other story. ANYWAY my bud throws this on. Poptones. Is this a throwback attempt? Seems a little professional for something that just comes out of left field. First song ("Something for the Weekend") is a little story-song with a twist ending. The next one is a cheeky little number, self-referential but, DO I KNOW YOU? Song 3 "Middle Class Heroes" is a cringefest with some weak abstraction of a moral judgement on... the middle class? People with children? Indians? "In & Out of Paris & London" is literally hurting me - trying to do a Morrisey thing? The reasonable side musicians he had on the first couple songs have now quit in protest and now Casanova (?) relies on synths. But not in a cool way. He's doing a lounge-lizard thing but the compositions are making me lose my faith in humanity. How did this get made, let alone released? I'll find out later. The next "song," called "Charge" (some war metaphor, clever, never heard that before!) contains a disturbingly childish derivative of a Brechtian march of some kind. I keep using phrases like "of some kind" and "a ____ thing" because this is so badly executed I can't determine the musical roots to which it is trying to emulate. This person is TRYING REALLY HARD to be clever and it comes off as misplaced arrogance. Really difficult to get through, the vocal quality is awful, like a dude who just can't get enough of his own voice and no one has the courage to tell him it's medocre at best. Trying too hard. I don't know if I can get through this, wondering why it's only the list. {EDIT: found out why it's on the list} Gah, more callbacks with the synthesizer trumpet and the dorky toy piano sound while this fool does his best Sinatra. "You don't really love me and I don't really mind, cause I don't love anybody, that stuff is just a waste of time, you don't really love me but I'd do you" WHAT IN THE LITERAL FUCK. Argghhh second song in a row with the stupid whistling like it's 1937 or something. This is making me want to destroy my own house. Kill me now. Gonna stick it out because I'm a masochist I guess. The little jazzy breakdowns are godawful. I'm guessing this dude is like an actor or theater guy, who made this album as a side project. "Through a Long and Sleeples Night" starts and all of a sudden something extreme and sinister is happening, but the cheesy syntho-trumpet remains. No growly vocal will save this from pure amateurish contrived garbage that has made this bed... OH!!! This is that shite The Divine Comedy! The BAND is The Divine Comedy! Ah, also responsible partly for the insanely bad Ute Lemper album. I'm leaving in the first bit where I mistake the name of the band for the name of the album because that's: 1. Bad graphic design, 2. Self-centered to think that I would know your band well enough to make the distinction correctly, and 3. The name "The Divine Comedy" is one of the worst band names I've ever come across, while it is plausible that the guy on the cover might have the stage name Casanova - as many others do. In all seriousness, this is so bad to be offensive. Hire a fucking trumpet. This is making me want to jam a sharpened pencil into my ears. Shocking to me what becomes popular.
Super Chad. 4.5
Mostly annoying
8/27/24. Very fun album! Britpop like with big production and a lot of pop sensibility. First time listening to this album and really enjoyed.
First exposure to these guys. Pretty funny
Not sure I get this, had some Bowie vibes which were good, but kinda all over the place. Interesting with all the instruments, seems like there was potential, but the vocals and lyrics just feel corny.
Meh
I absolutely hated this while at fleeting moments, loved it. If nothing else, he stepped out of the usual and did something original. That being said, no interest in ever putting this on again.
Un álbum bastante mediocre en comparación a su sucesor, "A Short Album About Love", que recomiendo bastante más que este. Sufre en esencia por ser "demasiado largo"; algunas ideas se extienden más de lo suficiente y se vuelven redudantes. Otras están mal concebidas desde el principio, pero entiendo la importancia de este trabajo como una contraparte a la oscuridad propuesta por artistas como Nick Cave, construída con un lenguaje similar.
Really enjoyed this one! Very joyous, a little objectifying at times, but on the whole an enjoyable album. Big fan of the trumpets.
Super cheesy
Thoughts before listening: I've never heard of this before. Must be British. Review: Yep...it's British. Over the top, theatrical Brit pop to be more precise. I don't really like it. 2-stars
Pleasantly surprised by this album. Enjoyed the vocals, lyrics, and production. It almost felt like I was listening to a musical with the lyrics being so vivid and the production by grandiose at times. I dont think I would have found my way to this album without the 1001 albums generator so its albums like this that keep me coming back. Great listen.
Really fun romp with clever lyrics and interesting orchestration but feels almost hollow somehow.
This was so boring
dude is horrendously down bad
Yeah, I’m not really getting what’s so special. He’s clearly trying to do something here. It’s definitely Pop. But it’s just like, slightly better Pulp, mixed with Marc Almond. It’s fine, but kinda boring.
Not great. Didn’t like really any songs. Not for me I guess
Why would this be on any list of anything? This is like some AI generated thing where the prompt was "make me a british pop album thats the most boring thing ever." 1/5
A couple of good lines in some of the songs, but the mix of britpop seemed like it tried to be too many things at once. A little Queen, a little Broadway themed. It did have a Scott Walker vibe as well, which I recognized once I read the article, but in the same vein as Walker, it felt rather inauthentic. 2/5.
Masterful
I don't really get it, is it a parody? If so, why is it so unbearably boring? But it does have the Father Ted theme.
A little Father Ted theme tune throwback was fun. A couple of other solid tracks too.
Some enjoyable parts.
what the fuck was this shit???
I'm not entirely sure what just happened to me. I hate to admit I didn't dislike that and I do wish the artist success. I'm concerned if I heard this drunk I'd give it a 5. This vote is almost entirely just feeling.
I heard the first minute of the first track and couldn't handle it. I put off the listen as long as I could. Some of the instrumentation is fine. Most of the tracks are too long for being music that is this cheeky. The ingredients are here, but in this format are not for me.
I had never heard of this group before but it was actually pretty good. A little goofy at some points but the instrumentation and the lyrics were interesting and creative
Crap
Never heard of this. Wasn't expecting this. Reminds me of something of flaming lips. this is actually enjoyable, not my style though.
There’s a bit of Morrissey’s drama here and some of Scott Walker’s style (who I learned about from this list), who sang modern takes on French and German cabaret. I also hear just a touch of Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys, at least the current longe act version of the band. In general I don’t love this album but I can’t be mad at a guy who’s just trying to put on a show for me. 2.5
Interesting sound with a lot of ideas packed into the songs. I was really impressed by the intro song and wasn't expecting something that whimsical- with the brass, orchestral marching cymbals, and fast string stabs. Judging the album by the cover I was expecting some mid 1990's "cool guy" vibe. I was pretty pleasantly surprised when more of the album continued in this direction. It's loungey and chamber poppy, and extravagant in a fun way. "Middle Class Heroes" is so intentionally / unintentionally funny with the cartoonish marimbas, swelling brass, contrasting the serious lyrics that paraphrase Hamlet. I enjoyed this, and I'll be checking it out again. It was really an interesting listen. 3.4/5
3.5★. Scott (2) Walker-lite (bordering on rip-off), so I enjoyed it quite a bit. (Baroque pop ftw I guess!) particularly liked: Something for the Weekend, Becoming More Life Alfie, Songs of Love, The Frog Princess, and A Woman of the World.
What in the world? Cheesy campy. I suppose if you're looking for that maybe
Jill told me not to listen to this. I should’ve taken her advice
Finally, something fun. Not the best album ever, but cool, light, well put-together.
Fun well arran
Shlocky, cheesy, lyrics are at times creepy, and yet I still kinda liked it.
Pretty terrible. Hope this was meant to be satirical and not real music.
It’s only been 12 hours and I remember not a single thing from this album. I vaguely remember it being very bland 90s music and that’s already a fleeting memory at best.
Thom Yorke's evil clone on the cover. I don't want to think about your navel hair, Divine Comedy man, fuck you for putting that visual in my head. This is boring as hell for about 80% of the time and was actively putting me to sleep, until it randomly pulls something crazy out of its ass and the entire orchestra blasts my ears, waking me up, making me think "wow okay, that was really cool", before it goes back to being boring again.
Pretty unlistenable for the most part.
I feel like this is actually really close to being something I like. But unfortunately, it's not very good.
-Liked this a bit more than I thought I would. The lyrics are really funny and I love the variety in genre and vocal style -def playing this at the tiktok rizz party -Favorites are Something For The Weekend, Becoming More Like Alfie, and A Woman Of The World
i didn’t like it at first but now that i get more into the album its warming up to me
Blech
This certainly is different. It's like a cross between rock and a lounge act. It often feels like kind of a joke, e.g. the inclusion of the instrumental "Theme from Casanova" as the penultimate track. But it's actually kind of nice to listen to. Not my style, probably won't listen to it again, but it was quite interesting.
Fav: Charge Least Fav: Theme from Casanova
Sounds like show tunes to me. It’s very dramatic -over the top. Did he just trill a note? No thanks.
Despite it becoming a bit of a novelty at times, I enjoy this! Harmonically exciting, lushly arranged and full of a old school cabaret aesthetic that I really like in a strange sort of way. If he wrote a novel in the same aesthetic, I would probablly rate that 5 stars. (I deeply dislike the cover though)
Decent, but a bit weird
Interesting pop
very theatrical and over the top while some feeling underwhelming
Liked this. I don't think I ever heard anything by this band but found it interresting, fun and enjoyable music. Added this and other albums to favorites for furure listening. Easy 4.
Just okay
WHY hasn't anyone made this a Muscial?
Pervy chamber pop.
my loooovely horrrrrrsssssssseeeeeee
Like a xerox of a xerox of a Scott Walker album. My friend Gerry's least favorite album of the 1001, for me... ehh, we'll call it a low 2
Langweilig..
Very surprising and odd album
Very meh.
Weird but fun
Not my bag. Kinda sounds like a soundtrack to a musical I've never seen.
Hm. Not really my cup of tea, but also not terrible either. I kind of regret it that I watched the videos for some of their songs (courtesy of YouTube Music), as the sardonic tone of their songs goes into really annoying territory with the chic-ironic style of the videos (although fun to see Venice in the video for "Something for the Weekend"). I'm sure there are plenty of Divine Comedy fans, but I'm not one of them, sadly. I guess the best way to put it is that at their best (probably with "Through a Long & Sleepless Night"), they sound a bit like a Franz-Ferdinand-inspired band, but not as interesting, although to Divine Comedy's credit they *were* earlier than Franz Ferdinand.
breezy referential British pop that's not to my taste but is well done
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't stage musical music with the theme tune from Father Ted in the middle (Songs of Love). Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Something for the Weekend Date listened: 12/06/24
The author of the list loves this band and has such poor taste that he is unable to think of enough artists to fill the list, so puts them on multiple times. I didn’t enjoy it
Not only did it make my ears bleed for most of it, it was also kinda rapey. Bumped up to 2 because the last 3 tracks had good arrangements.
okay, didn't grab me as much as I expected.
It's like Spacehog got fed up with their contract and decided to put out a joke album to fulfill their obligations to the company as a final f. u.
Incredibly generic, boring pop. Easily skippable
It is fine. Not particularly interesting and not offensive to listen.
Boring
Sporadic moments of great pop, but overlong and plodding. The instrumentation oscillates between lush and overproduced. It sounds often like they're having some kind of fun; I wish I felt the same. Highlights: Something for the Weekend, The Frog Princess Nadir: Charge
Fine by me. Felt like listening to a play that someone offered me free tickets to. I wasn't enamored but the performance was good and I'm glad to have had the experience. I think that's a pretty neutral review for me.
pleasant musik
Brit pop 2.7
Always struck me as belonging to that class of intellectual luvvies like Jarvis and those twats from the Housemartins, so never bothered to listen to any of his music. Gets a point for Father Ted, but the rest of it is inoffensive and forgettable
Why is he doing that voice
Dracula röst+royalty free beats+ jag tänker våldta dig SÅ ironiskt Kanske det sämsta albumet jag någonsin hört? Kan inte tro att detta band har mer än en plats på listan
This album was an absolute surprise in more ways than one. Took me most of the first track to recognize it's wasn't being serious. Kudos to the dry, British humor. The music was actually good, the humor on point and overall enjoyable.
Silly
No sé por qué esperaba mucho más de este disco. Tiene arreglos lindos y suena con calidad, pero tampoco es la gran cosa.
Operatic pop, quirky and fun
3.75 stars? All the tracks sound great, and the vocal performances are very big and engaging, but most of the lyrics are a huge turnoff. The songs only start making sense halfway through the album. "The Frog Princess" was an interesting song, but has a sad and almost mean spirited ending. "A Woman of the World" is a bit odd, but is understandable. "Through a Long & Sleepless Night" is a pretty badass song; "Theme from Casanova" is pleasant and an interesting presentation of the theme of the album. "The Dogs and Horses" serves as a big and dramatic closing number.
I think I'm only giving it a 3 for the Sound of Music reference and maybe the last 2 or 3 songs. I really want to like it but it's a little weird
Kind of a weird one but not unenjoyable. Has a movie soundtrack vibe, particularly with the title track. Some good melodies, and the failed experiments are at least trying something. Best song: Theme from Casanova
Songs of Love // A Woman of the World //
Meg
# Playlist track - Something for the Weekend # Notes - Album has some fun moments, but it's overall extremely overdone. To the point, I kept trying to figure out the the "Comedy" on the band's name was literal. - "The Dogs & The Horses" alone is worth -3 stars.
Probably between a 2 and a 3 but the longer it went on, the more fed up I got. I don't normally like novelty / comedy songs and this leans into it too much. Most of the album is just crooning about shagging over horns or strings, which is both boring and creepy
If I want to listen to Scott Walker, why not just listen to Scott Walker?
Um. No. I don’t understand what I’m listening to…lounge music, non-music? It’s the most non-descript and generic of voices and no line, melody.
4 - Liked this, not as much as the other album though. Very fun and lots of musical depth.
Enjoyed this a lot, way more than A Short Album About Love. A very solid bunch of tracks, with a lot of wit and some deliciously lush instrumentation. Fave Tracks: Something for the Weekend, Becoming More Like Alfie, Middle Class Heroes, Charge 4.4/5
Starts with something for the weekend which is, meh at best and it’s all downhill from there
Neil Hannon is a genius. Unfortunately most people are too stupid to appreciate his music, which is why he’s not more successful. You actually have to use your brain for this, and your heart will thank you. Love it!
Album 409 of 1001 The Divine Comedy - Casanova Rating : 3.5 / 5 This is called "pop" but that would be like putting someone unique in the way of Leonard Cohen in the pop category. The Divine Comedy is in it's own type of category. Good listen but no big hits jumping out. Basically just an experience. Some like it, some don't. Maybe something like "theatrical pop" would cover it....or "classical pop".
Somehow more insipid than their other album on here. And longer.
Such a unique refreshing album. Fun in the right moments, serious in the right moments.
This album was just ok. Didn’t strike me one way or another.
This was certainly an album of all time. It's bad enough that this list seems to have an over-representation of britpop, but this was overly cheesy and pompous. A few of the singles keep this afloat for me, but mostly skippable at the end of the day.
Yeah, really don’t like this. It actually got worse the more i listened. It’s just strange and a little bit creepy.
This album has the feel of a play with the way it ebbs and flows while building towards the end. I won't say it was always my favorite music but the album overall was enjoyable and definitely thought through. It didn't drown itself in repetition that can happen as an album approaches an hour. The album reminded me to listening to an Andrew Lloyd Webber production. The Dogs & The Horses is an excellent final track that brings the album together. I think it would take another listen to fully judge this album but my score reflects how I felt after my initial listen through.
Didn't enjoy all of this one, I felt like it was a play that was adapted to an album and some of the outlandish lyrics made it hard to take completely serious. I think the music was good however and it grew on me by the end. I'm curious what a relisten would do for me.
Is it trying to be funny? Is that the gimmick? Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine Ass music.
David Bowie wannabe. Did not like.
Middle-Class Heroes has some pleasant trombone and is a chill tune. The Frog Princess is intriguing. A Woman of the World is also enjoyable. Through a Long & Sleepless Night and Theme from Casanova are also great. I was leaning towards a 3 rating but I have to go with 4, it kept me interested but I doubt I'd revisit most of the first half.
This was strange. I didn't hate it as much as I thought I was going to. It was kind of original in a creepy lounge act meets Broadway kind of way.
I made it all the way to one minute into track 3 before I noped the hell out.
Almost the opposite of Trent Resnor's Nine Inch Nails dreadfest, this is much lighter and tongue in cheek funny. It does suffer from beng almost too simple musically, only saved by the "actually decent" voice of the singer and the clever laugh out loud lyrics. I don't think I would go as far as to call this a must hear album, but it IS a lot of fun!
Very nice. Catchy pop songs with an indie twist
Boring
Torch songs are not usually my cup of tea. When I started playing this album, I was quite dubious. But it grew on me as we went. Really lovely musically and the lyrics can be downright clever, if not chuckle-worthy. By the end, I thoroughly enjoyed the cheekiness. A nice surprise. Unexpected bangers: In and Out of Paris and London, Middle Class Heroes, A Woman of the World.
I really hated this album, but in a way that also makes me like it. I'd give it 1 star for how much I enjoyed listening to it, and 3 stars for being strange, interesting, and being someone's extremely well executed personal vision. Even though I at no point liked any of the songs, the world is better for this album existing, which is why it gets 2 stars. My main complaints: - I dont like showtunes, schmalzy dinner theater cabaret, or art school circus music, and this album combined all of that. - I didn't like the songwriting. All his melodies bothered me. Any time he started doing something I liked, it ended up resolving in a way I didn't like leaving me just kinda dissapointed. - At times this album made me angry. Album cover: B+
Mood: Tired after long weekend Setting: Getting ready to go see a musical which seemed a good time to listen to this Very unique. I kinda loved it but at the same time I couldn't stand listening to it anymore? I don't really know where that leaves me. I don't think I will ever listen to it again, but I will remember its strangeness fondly.
This was such a strange album. I don't have a lot of time to write this review, so I'll just say that I enjoyed the music, didn't love the singing, and somehow came away from it feeling like it was very pleasant and I was happy it existed. My favorite song was 'Theme from Casanova'. 7/10
Suena bien, pero no me resulta particularmente memorable.
Not my taste
Nope
Pretty cool. Love Middle Class Heroes
It was okay. There’s some interesting bits throughout the entirety but overall just kind of felt mediocre. Might return back to it sometime soon.
Feels dated and a little passé. He's got a nice voice but meh.
hmmm... i truly don't know what to make of this album. not my fav. interesting texture to his vocal. very mid.
(Pinkies out) Really not my cup of tea. Becoming More Like Alfie is the best song, but the whole album is a bit too Benny Hillish for me (1.0*s)
Did this guy lose a bet? The whole album is too theatrical, overly dramatic, and campy for me. It completely creeped me out and I couldn't wait for it to end. Who is this bizarre sleaze ball and how do I get as far away as possible? If there's something to like here it was definitely missed on me. In one song he's just screaming "bang, bang, bang" into my ear and in another he's turning frogs into cows. Not for me at all.
This one came out of left field. It was like complex casino lounge music and I was digging it. Also got a Thomas Dolby/Cake feel as it bordered parody but didn't get as silly as Weird Al. It was divine at times...it was comedic at times I will be checking more out from them.
Weird, unique and a lot of fun. Never heard of The Divine Comedy but I'm definitely intrigued. Great pull from the 1001 list. Hope more stuff like this shows up down the line. 2.95 stars
Interesting if not my style.
Couldn’t wait for this album to end. Not for me 1/5
Frank Zappa once asked "does humour belong in music", of course it does. Fun album only lacking my lovely horse, but I can forgive them this as they give us something for the weekend.
WHAT I ENJOYED: some of the lyrics were (I believe I'm using this Britishism correctly) quite cheeky GRIPES: musically a little melodramatic, lyrically kind of creepy (but I'm guessing/hoping it was satirical??) RECCOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Morrissey, Rufus Wainwright #490 revealed / #521 rated
No. There’s a reason this isn’t constantly popping up on “best of” lists.
I guess it was mostly firmly tongue-in-cheek but it just wasn't that good.
Basically, this is British kids doing silly posh voices at school made into a whole album. No idea why it goes full Prince at one stage, and it's genuinely creepy in places. "Something for the Weekend" is admittedly quite a clever song, though.
Если бы Ник Кейв выбрал водевиль
J'ai pas écouté en entier psk vrmt j'aimais pas du tout
Started bad, then I thought it was a joke. I listened to the whole album though. 3/5
I had another Divine Comedy album on this challenge many months ago. I gave it a 3 and wrote that maybe the music can grow on me. Since then, I've largely forgotten it. So this album came as a surprise because I enjoyed it more than I expected and (again) feel like it could grow on me if I let it. I don't love orchestral pop but Divine Comedy are more pop than orchestra, which helps. One of these days, I may spend more time listening to this band.
If I had been a straight man born in the UK in the early 1970s who had a notorious affinity for tall French women, middlebrow literature, and frequenting chic cocktail bars, I think I’d understand this album. Alas, I am a queer trans woman born in the US in the 1990s, with a hatred for both the British and the French, and although I too like to read the New Yorker while sipping a Paper Plane, I truly don’t understand the appeal of this album. It’s too dorky and carnivalesque to be artful, but it’s too up-its-own-ass to be camp, and honestly, literally nothing about it stands out. Well, besides its weirdly misogynistic Pick Up Artist ego. I can’t decide if it’s being ironic in an obnoxious Gen X way that I’m supposed to read as ~social commentary~ even though time has made the joke incomprehensible, or if these lyrics are sincere, and if it’s the latter, then this album is bordering on immature, if not fully problematic, to the point where I’d cover my drink if he tried to hit on me at a chic cocktail bar. Either way, I hate this guy’s whole vibe. It took all my strength to not turn this off half-way through. Hell, I wanted to turn it off at the beginning of Track 3, and then I realized I was only on Track 3, so then with each song, it became more and more difficult to sit through this without wanting to cancel my Spotify subscription. Never again, please, or at least not for a long while.
A flamboyant British pop album. Kind of enjoyable in general, with its ups and downs.
This guy gives me the creeps. Which sucks because the rest of the music is actually pretty good. But this is unlistenable because of the lyrics.
Étonnamment moins pire que l’album d’avant, mais paa top quand même
Strange album. It kind of sounds like the soundtrack to a 90s film with a lot of velvet, candles, and outrageous makeup. Maybe something by Baz Luhrmann. The vocals and music aren't bad, but it's just a little hard to describe or to get into.
Theatre kid Bo Burnham. Does that make sense?
Fine. You can have a 3. But only if I never have to listen to you again
Heavy orchestral pop influences, not for me had to put it down
Sum lögin voru kósý Bygljan eitthvað 90's. Annað var vitleysa og sumt var beinlínis pirrandi.
Alltaf gaman að fá plötur sem maður hefur ekki heyrt áður og eru jafnvel þokkalegar. Ég hafði bara nokkuð gaman af kammerpoppinu með Scott Walker ívafi. Misgott þó.
Rather interesting, theatrical bit of music.
This album went back and forth from good songs to cheesy over the top bullshit. I liked the songs “something for the weekend”, “becoming more like Alfie”, and “songs of love”, otherwise the rest is crap.
Bien que ce soit un personnage, la performance du personnage de Casanova, l'homme à femmes, le womanizer, m'a irritée. Notes de théâtre musical.
cool
As though Scott Walker were plucked from the late 60s and was infused with the kitsch of mid 90s lounge aping, Neil Hannon's Divine Comedy slinks, swoons and swaggers its way through Casanova. A true breakthrough in the sense of the word, it lures one in and then consistently delivers throughout the runtime. A hidden Britpop era gem. Favorites: Something for the Weekend, Becoming More Like Alfie, Middle-Class Heroes, In & Out of Paris & London, Charge, Songs of Love, Through a Long & Sleepless Night.
Bright and breezy offering from the Britpop era, with very British sensibilities and cultural references. Perhaps interesting in that context but the often mannered (/pretentious) vocals and the irritating spoken interludes give the reviewer little room for manoeuvre.
Really? The editors missed Morrissey and hackneyed lounge singing? This list is more annoying then edifying. Check out Richard Cheese. 2*
Divine Boredom
Charge is very interesting! :) Overall style is wacky - some reminds me a tiny bit of Mr. Bungle, some of Roxy and other bands. The Dogs & the Horses was great. Great overall - great discovery - thanks!
Kind of interesting. This has a lot of Scott Walker vibes.
3.5
Bypassed me a bit, but did so pleasantly
We like the songs. The Father Ted song especially, and Something for the Weekend.
The album was hit and miss for me. I liked Something For the Weekend and The Dogs & The Horses. But I didn't like Middle-class Heroes and A Woman of The World.
90’s music makes me so sad. Nope
I often criticise albums for being too boring, for the tracks being too similar. This album is a good example of how interesting and varied doesn’t necessarily make something good. Lots of variety of bad here.
Recently discovered a sad lad by The Divine Comedy that has been on rotation for a while, so have been meaning to check them out further. Enjoyed it, will continue to listen to more. Simpsons: No
Don't have anything good to say about this.
Found this incredibly boring
Dudes trying way too hard. Wind your neck in
This may have been the most unique album I've listened to in a long time, but it wasn't super my thing.
Not bad, but mediocre 2.5/5
Why must you waste my time with this nonsense?
It's funny...as I listened to this album progress, my thought was "this sounds way more like a solo artist album than one by a band", and now Neil Hannon is now listed as it's only member. Score another one for weird observations by my brain... This is a pretty interesting album to me overall...so much so that I'm not sure if I like it or not. I like the variation in songwriting and feels, I like the instrumentals, the voice pairs well with them...but something just doesn't connect with me as much as I'd think given all the components that I like. Favorite track: Through a Long and Sleepless Night
Quite an individual sound, niche even and not the kind of music I would listen to although aware of The Devine Comedy. Kind of grows on you, I thought would be a easy 2 stars but I think 3 more apt.
This was some goofy shit.
As always a plus one for horns. This album was not what I expected beaded on the first couple tracks. It gets a little experimental and weird in the middle there. Charge and Woman of the World were standouts for me. Not my favorite, but a fun and unique listen.
Decent but kinda weird
Very cool, very unique album. I can hear a lot of different influences in this album and imagine how it may have influenced many future albums.
If Jack Skellington made a second album... Too many albums by this guy on this list. Sure, let's listen to one by this theatrical rock star to see what's up. But two means something else more interesting gets bumped off the list.
Weird but quite fun, not sure I'd listen to again but pleased I have now
Not very interesting
“Everybody knows that no means yes”?? Is this the Blurred Lines of its generation?
Father Ted theme out of nowhere!
Sounds like a musical
I really wasn't feeling this one. I hope for this guy's sake that the sleazy player act was making fun of that kind of artist, otherwise yikes.
musically it's not that bad, but god damn it is cringe. I don't think it's supposed to be taken that serious. At least I hope it isn't.
I've always found The Divine Comedy really funny, and their music and lyrics quite interesting. An album to listen to with an open mind and without taking it too seriously: just to have fun, after all!
This is fantastic. Great music, smart-are delivery. Brilliant songwriting. A fantastic find.
musically i loved this album but the lyrics took me out. lots of sexualizing teenage girls, and weird no means yes stuff…
Boring vocals over repetitive instrumentals
Wanted to give this a second listen today but ran out of time. I’m in the minority based on the average rating. I loved this! It’s weird, funny, and always musically interesting. Will definitely be revisiting this. 4/5
Seems like it'd be up my alley, I kinda like when random 90s alt rock acts I've never heard of show up here. But idk it was kinda just annoying. 2.5/5
This was ok I guess. I tuned out a bit while listening, which speaks to how boring it was overall. It kind of reminds me of bad broadway or showtune music. Mehhhh.
This is odd. What a weird album! It has a very 60s feel, then suddenly it’s a 40s ballad, then an Irish folk song. It’s definitely eclectic. I added one song to my playlist, which saves this from a 1. Woman of the World was that song. I can’t say I want to listen to any other songs again.
Erstaunlich kurzweilig, kannte ich noch gar nicht.
Nach den ersten drei bis vier Stücken war ich ganz klar bei 4 Punkten. Dann begann mich die Sache aber zu nerven.
bit quirky and different, obviously on the nose
it was ok
I was better than the other album by Tia band on the list but not much better. I wasn’t hating it but it felt like hours and I was just in track 6. Don’t think I’ll be listening to this ever again
The concert got more interesting as the album progressed. Not a fan with how polished the album sounded.
Maybe if I were in a different mood I could be into this, but right now this really just isn't connecting. Objectively, the music is theatrical, but quite fine. Vocals strike me as a bit campy with an appeal to fedora wearing crooners of years gone by. The instrumentals are fine; sweeping strings, skittering drums -- the whole suite. That said, this isn't it for me.