A Short Album About Love

There should be more short albums about things. As the title suggests, this is a sweet, shot and idiosyncratically romantic chamber pop record. It's not subtle, but it's really good. The lyrics are direct, full of imagery and amusingly truthful all at once. In all literature, music or art I'm not sure anyone has ever described the devotion of being in love better than 'If': "if you were a horse, I'd clean the crap out of your stable, and never once complain, if you were a horse, I could ride you through the fields at dawn, through the day until the day was gone"? Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Everybody Knows (except you) Date listened: 30/10/22

Short and sweet. Playful, unpredictable, tender, with great melodies. I definitely need to listen to some more 'The Divine Comedy!

I actually wasn’t that keen on this after the first listen. I somehow didn’t know what I was going into and simply wasn’t ready. But I had a feeling that I was missing something. So I gave it another listen. And BANG. There it was. I was totally blown back the second time around. The grandiose orchestration, the wonderful songwriting and Hannon’s raw and honest emotions. Especially the four songs starting with “Everybody Knows (Expect You)” and concluding with “If I Were You…” stands out as phenomenal. How have I wasted 25 years not listening to this sooner?

Genuinely brilliant and right up my alley. One of my best new finds from this 1001 Albums list.

Expecting something 'avant-guarde' but it was just a collection of old fashioned love songs. It gets one extra star for having the most literaly truthful title of any album I know.

An old favourite!

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I was going to

Great instrumentation and vocals. Probably the best chamber pop album I've heard yet

A very nice album indeed with very precise & carefully-chosen lyrics.

I've a grudging respect for Divine Comedy. Their overplayed cleverness, catchy lyrics, odd orchestral sounds. But I can't work out - who is now annoying - Neil Hannon or Divine Comedy fans?

Brel-liant. More obsessed with horses than I remember.

It's like a movie soundtrack. Certiainly atmospheric. Fave: If...

Why include this Neil Hannon project, and not the cricket-themed concept album side project "The Duckworth Lewis Method"? That would really get the commenters foaming at the mouth about the UK-centric bias! 😆 Anyway, this is a perfectly pleasant listen - I got a Frank Sinatra album picked the next day, which makes for a nice contrast... Fave track - "Everybody Knows (Except You)"

I wasn’t expecting much from this one, but I kind of loved it! Very pretty throughout, and I like how his voice added a little bit of edge to offset the sugary sweet coating. This might be my favorite week here ever. B

The drama

Divine Comedy has made the perfect (chamber) pop song numberous times (Our Mutual Friend, Tonight We Fly, The Booklovers etc etc) . This min-album: If. The remaining songs are around 4*. Lyrics: 5* (of course).

Very good album, but this musical style does not appeal to me enough to give it 5 stars, so 4 stars it is.

Absolutely soulful and swanky album, quite tightly packed as well. Huge Surpise here.

Pleasantly surprised! I'll listen to more of this band.

I love Neil Hannon. A man out of time, a voice from the 50s and the wit of Noel Coward but with 90s instrumentation. It's so enjoyable. He can break your heart in one line and make you laugh your arse off with the next (is there a better delivered line than "I told the passers by/I made a small boy cry"). I have always loved Everybody Knows. If is a revelation - big swelling orchestration and a writer's challenge of coming up with as many situations as possible. If I Were You feels like Frank Sinatra retold by Morrissey (in a good way, not a racist way). This actually feels like a lost Scott Walker album! I really like it. Not everything on here is essential - which is a shame with its brevity, but at it's heights, it soars.

Solid album from one of my favourite artists. Does exactly what the title suggests and more.

Optimistic (mostly) collection of brass, drums, strings. Abba-adjacent.

Interesting! Somewhat eerie love songs with strange lyrics (if you were a horse).

Klinkt ook bijzonder. Gaan we nog meer van horen

Nije moj đir, dost kliše ljubavnih pjesama, al iskreno iskreno jedna od ugodnijih šetnji do faksa, makar se osjećo malo sjebano. Tako da iako nema teorije da bi inace dao ovak visoku ocjenu ovom, pasalo je, tako da neka bude četvorka ko ga jebe.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: In pursuit if happiness, Everybody knows

the guys voice was lovely n deep. the instrumentals were extremely good and felt very grand and orchestral. lil bit of comedy. lil bit of cringe. pretty cool. 4.5

This was a great album to have come up. I know this band from their first best of and this was a great excuse to dive into more of their full albums. I already liked the songs on here that I know but really fell for a few I didn't (specifically "Someone").

I really quite enjoyed this album.

Never heard of The Devine Comedy. This is such well written music. Very full and layered. Like an Ogre. I'm interested in hearing more.

New to me, i liked it

I got into this album more and more the further through it I got. Felt very nostalgic of when I used to go with my grandparents to little pub/clubs ( the lax working club kind)

I've never really heard anything of this genre before outside of straight up musical theatre, which is obviously right up my street. This album was really cohesive and was a pleasure to listen to. My favourite moment was the orchestra at the end of 'If...'. Beautiful music.

Une des premières bonnes surprises du générateur, évidemment mal reçue par la communauté trashmétal-friendly de celui-ci d'un mauvais goût assez objectif.

This was actually great. Started off feeling very twee, but I grew to like it a lot.

Intriguing and often mesmerizing, although the occasional odd lyric feels out of place with the tone of the album. But well done and I was hooked throughout.

A voice like velvet, great lyrics, clever songwriting, beautiful arrangements... what a joy this album is.

Zu pompös, um es normal zu hören aber echt cool!

c'est un peu court jeune homme, 4/5

Für Freunde des Melodrams wirklich ein gutes album

This was actually great. Started off feeling very twee, but I grew to like it a lot.

Nice little album

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: In Pursuit of Happiness, Everybody Knows (Except You), Someone, If I Were You (I'd Be Through With Me), I'm All You Need Cutting Edge: If... Overall Notes: Some nice chamber pop. I can see people seeing this as pretentious, but I like it like that. The orchestral moments are beautiful and the lyrics aren't too self-serious. A 4.5 rounded to a 4 because it wasn't anything earth-shatteringly good (and again I'm trying to avoid score inflation), but I really really enjoyed this album. This is like a better version of that Rufus Wainwright album and will probably replace it for when I'm in the mood for some chamber pop.

Een moderne interpretatie van Sinatra. Dat past helemaal bij mijn dag vandaag. Prachtig!

Sounds a lot like Magnetic Fields. Pretty listenable

New to me but I enjoyed it

This albums was a pleasant surprise. Lots of catchy songs with grand orchestras behind it. The last song on the album ‘I’m All You Need’ was one of my favorite songs I’ve heard in awhile.

One off 60's orchestra and single singer style. Enjoyable.

A surprise smash hit out of left field. I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Gorgeous songcraft, funny and witty lyrics, and a nice melodic ambiance.

entertaining album. The lyrics to the songs are bizarre. Short and not so sweet.

Enjoyable and somewhat amusing album with tongue-in-cheek lyrics, surprisingly good

Exactly what it says on the tin. I'm a sucker for orchestral arrangements. Best track: Everybody Knows (Except You)

A classic example of good trustworthy advertising. It is short, it is an album, and it is truly every sense about love. The vocalist's voice soars as he tells you how we can be together forever, how you would not cry if you were a tree, and how if you were a horse, he'd clean the crap out of your stable and that's when it really hits you that you're in love.

it’s cute

Perfectly competent. But sounds like a satire. Like it's simultaneously taking the piss out of Nick Cave and musical theater.

Listening session: june 28th, while crocheting a gift for my roommate Listened to before: no Thoughts: after listening twice I still don’t know if these love songs are supposed to be ironic or not because of lyrics like “If you were a horse, I’d clean the crap out of your stable”. This reminded me a bit of Scott Walker but then with weirder lyrics and I don’t know if I will be coming back to this. The orchestral instrumentals were really nice at some points though Favourite tracks: Everybody Knows (except you)? Someone & If…

We saw them at the Rudolstadt Festival four years ago. We found the music too bombastic and left after barely an hour. The album being reviewed here was recorded 25 years earlier and sounds different from what we heard at the concert. It is still bombastic, though—featuring plenty of orchestration, strings, trumpets, trombones, French horns, oboes, cello, and so on. It’s worth a listen; the vocals and the record's mood immediately remind me of Bryan Ferry from Roxy Music—an artist I would prefer. I’ve since read that this style of music is called "chamber pop." Well, I’m giving it a 3, but as for listening to it again? Probably not.

Quality crooning

Muito cinematográfico, com letras ultra melosas e uma ambientação bem teatral, algo que já mencionei não curtir muito anteriormente. O som deles me lembra Pulp, mas bem menos pervertido. Como o nome indica, é um disco bem curto, mas ainda assim é possível sentir a pegajosidade das letras e do melodrama apresentado. Não me agradou muito. 3/5

It's 3.5

Still cheesy and a little creepy, like cigarettes and the tacky feel of a bar not cleaned in a while.

노래가 잔잔하고 분위기가 꽤 좋았다. The song was calm and the atmosphere was quite nice.

Some very interesting lyrics

Slow pop

5.5/10

I was honestly expecting to hate A Short Album About Love but it was surprisingly pretty good. This album pretty much says exactly what it is on the tin, its a short 31 minute album where the lyrics are about love so i will give points for honesty. This album feels like a mix between Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Morrissey and RPG town themes. The strings on offer were rather nice and the lyrics were pretty alright for the most part. I also like that this album was short just like it says in the name. I will admit that there were points where the constant orchestral instruments and the lyrics could be a bit pretentious but i don't think its really enough to tank the album too badly. Overall, it's a pretty good listen. Best Song: Timewatching Worst Song: In Pursuit Of Happiness

Very fun album, and an unexpected amount of horse references. If... was pretty funny. Everybody Knows (Except You) and I'm All You Need were my favorites though. 6.6/10

I had not realised so much of Divine Comedy's oeuvre was about horses.

At least it was short.

Betydligt bättre än Casanova. Riktigt bra till och med i Everybody knows och Someone. Som Dexys på lättmajonäs.

Horseplay

Nice quick clean 32 min

Fairly unremarkable but fine listening. Mistook this for Nick Cave that we listened to yesterday

Notable Textzeile: If you were a horse I'd clean the crap out of your stable And never once complain Eine Band die ich nur dem Namen nach und aus Rezensionen kenne, die ich gelesen habe, die mich irgendwie angesprochen haben, aber nicht genug um im Laden wirklich reinzuhören, weil das in dieser CD-Kauf-Jahrtausendwendenzeit was Besonderes war. Und dann auch später wo alles verfügbar war, hat mich nichts dazu gebracht. Jetzt weiß ich, dass ich nichts verpasst habe. Ohne damit sagen zu wollen, dass ich das jetzt schlecht finde oder das es ansonsten schlecht gemacht wäre. Aber genau dafür was das ist (bittersweet, orchestral, Lovesongs mit Trief und Seltsamkeit) reicht mir Nick Cave, da gibt es zumindest mehr Doppelbödigkeit, Spannung und Darkness.

Das wirkt irgendwie aus der Zeit gefallen. Aber nicht kacke. Kenne eher neuere Dinge von TDC - was für mich alles noch wilder und weniger retro-gestyled wirkt. Das hier ist in the middle of the limbo und verwässert irgendwo.

A Short Album about love, duurt net aan 30 minuten, dus ik ben in elk geval al tevreden dat ze zich aan een deel van de titel houden. Met een naam als The Divine Comedy was dit wel een beetje wat ik verwachtte. Super extra popindierock. Je hoort bijna de theateropleiding die de bandleden allemaal gevolgd hebben. Het is wel campy, maar wel op een goede manier. Zang is prima, niet ontzettend bijzonder en instrumentaal is het heel erg filmisch. Dit had zo in een musical gekund zegmaar. Nu ben ik niet de grootste fan van musicals, maar een half uurtje trek ik nog wel en dan kan ik nog net de lol er van inzien dat dit van die super extra okestrale muziek is. Bombastisch instrumentaal en dan zingen over de liefde, als dit niet in een Romeo & Julia musical had gezeten dan weet ik het ook niet meer. Ja ach, dit is een ok album. Ben er niet heel erg weg van. De lyrics zijn wel echt dramatisch, "If you were a horse, I'd clean the crap out of your stable" Sorry, ik begrijp de Comedy opeens, dit is hilarisch. Is dit een ironisch album? Het zou een hoop verklaren, en al ben ik geen fan van ironische albums trek ik het hier wat beter omdat het juist muzikaal zo superserieus is. Ook de meerdere keren dat hij het 'succulent' gras bezingt. Ik krijg meer en meer het idee dat ik in de zeik genomen word. Ook dat hij volledig zou begrijpen als de ander klaar is met hem. Is dit een album over liefde? Misschien toch niet, of misschien wel, maar dan alle fases van liefde en niet alleen maar de romcom verliefdheid waarin je elkaar pas net leert kennen. Juist ook de fase waar je al 40 jaar samen bent en je partner eigenlijk nooit de vaatwasser goed inruimd... FAVO: everybody knows(Except you), If...

Een beetje een concept, een beetje ouderwetse zang, een beetje gestaar naar schoenen, een beetje slechte humor: een beetje vergeetbaar.

Big three! I liked this a lot! So many albums on the three train ranging from I don't hate this enough for a two to I don't love this enough for a four. This is a mess.

This is a difficult album to talk about, because while it's clearly very good, it did nothing for me on an emotional level. This a very symphonic, theatrical take on pop, with immaculate orchestral arrangements and dramatic vocals. Neil Hannon is a great frontman, both technically gifted and emotionally expressive. His lyrics, while sometimes cheesy, do a great job of capturing a romantic, lovelorn energy. He brings to mind a protagonist in a romantic Broadway musical, over-the-top and passionate and absolutely commanding everyone's attention. Unfortunately, nothing about this really appeals to me. It all feels a little too tasteful and methodically composed for my preferences. I like a little more mess in my music than what The Divine Comedy provides here. I can see why someone would love this, but it's just not for me.

It's weird, but I kind of like it.

I think it’s not too bad. A bit slow. And it gave me a wrong impression of making music is so easy.

interesting enough to be a 3 star album, but didn't really do much for me.

"If..." and "If I Were You" might be the funniest song combo I've ever heard. It took me awhile to key into the lyrics, but the contradiction from "I would do anything for you" and "If I were you I would get away from me" is hilarious.

another divine instantly forgettable comedy album

Good

I liked it. Didn't love it. Love the Americans reviewing not clearly not understanding what tongue-in-cheek is.

как-то не запомнилось, не буду никого звать приходить ко мне слушать старые пластинки divine comedy - 3

A fine slice of chamber pop - though without the standout tunes of Casanova.

Well... that's different. Certainly not in my wheelhouse... the constant love-song crooning gets on my nerves after a while. He sounds like a cross between Sinatra, Dave Vanian and... (ready, here it comes) Bono. As predictable as that comparison may be, it also happens to be true. The loose concept is, of course, love, so why do I quickly get sick of the love-song vibe across the whole record? Probably because I'm not terribly interested in the music itself. On a more positive note, it is superbly produced and full of clearly capable, if not top-tier performers. It's very impressive that this was more-or-less a live recording that they essentially banged out at a soundcheck. The recording sounds really good as well. While it's not really my thing, I can understand the appeal.

Well, it does what it promises. This just kinda… is. It's maybe overtheatrical, definitely a little lounge-acty. It's the EP version of 69 love songs in some ways, though I think there's more genuine brilliance on 69LS. There's nothing BAD about it per se. But it doesn't hold me. I like the reinterpolation of “when i fall in love” on Timewatching, and I'm All You Need is more what i expected (and males me a bit hopefully for the other Divine Comedy stuff), but this just sort of passed by. This is also where I wish the star system was more descriptive. Something like 45% of my ratings lean to a 3-star, and this, I think, would too. But there's such a wider range of meanings on a 3 star. There are the “this is good” threes, the “this is fine” threes, the “this is generic but not bad” threes. There are lots of sorts of threes out there, and it's not really fair to say this is the same as Tommy (or on the other hand, the same as The Rising). It's just 3.

Grandiose in some ways and has some beautiful melodies and instrumentation. But rather boring and didn't strike me too hard. Low 3?

Całkiem śmieszne na 3, ale nic porwyającego

Ne Zeitlang ganz witzig, aber irgendwann ziemlich ausgelutscht. Das soll aber wohl das satirische Konzept dahinter sein. Musikalisch ohne große Höhen.

Ich mag deren Sound, aber keines ihrer Alben hat mir bislang wirklich gefallen.

Несподівано для мене непоганий чембер-поп, пісня Someone взагалі дуже сподобалась.

Enjoyed a lot of the instruments and sounds but found his voice overly somber and melancholy at times. Liked Pursuit of Happiness best.

If this album were a horse, I would pet it. But I wouldn’t love it like our protagonist here

If… is certainly a rollercoaster

very romantic but not really my genre. I liked "If I were you" and "everybody knows"

Eh. I get why the author chose to include this in this collection of records. It fits neatly between Scott and Rufus Wainwright. There is certainly a thread of music like this in pop culture. But on its own, this is nothing. It’s fine, just not at all necessary.

C'était fort sympathique, j'hésite encore entre un 3 et un 4, parce que même si c'était finalement assez classique, l'instrumentation plutôt riche et l'interprétation que j'ai trouvée intense compense, il y a une vraie maîtrise. Et comme il n'est pas long du tout, t'as pas vraiment le temps de t'en lasser. Par contre, on en parle des paroles de If... ? C'est quoi ce délire de "If you were my little girl/I would find it hard to let you go/If you were my sister/I would find it doubly so" ? Qu'est-ce qu'on est censés comprendre ? Et toute la chanson est un peu bizarre avec aussi "You'd never have to think again/And we could be together till the end". C'est censé être attendrissant ou flippant ?

Very over the top with cheesy lyrics but it commits so hard that it sounds good. Overall pleasant to listen to.

Kinda weird

It sure is about love. There are some interesting moments, harmonically moves in an interesting way and has some nice string arrangements. Won’t be coming back to it. 2.5

The title is no lie. Decent songs.

Nose medio elvis la voz?

4/5 for chill hangout

There is a certain kitsch to this - it’s parody right? Like Puddles the Clown. Like FJM. Under this lens and because it was short (didn’t overstay welcome), I quite enjoyed it. 3/5

Never heard of this before. It was ok I guess, but it seemed really cheesy to me.

Its cool

Fun album. There's some similarities to Neil Diamond music.

Lamento decirlo pero, anhelaba el momento en que se acabe. Simplemente se me hizo súper tedioso, no conecté absolutamente nada. Algunos temas estaban bien, tenían potencial pero el proyecto general en sí fue una pereza total. No sé quién fue el crítico que eligió este álbum pero deben quitarle el puesto ya mismo. En lugar de ponerlo en la lista de: "1001 álbumes que debes escuchar antes de morir", debe estar en la categoría de: "álbumes para morir completamente".

Top Songs: Everybody Knows (Except You)

= the Beatles

Lekker dramatische popliedjes, grenst af en toe aan een Broadway-productie. Grappig geschreven, maar had geen minuut langer hoeven duren.

Not my Genre, good listen

Bra! Gillar hans röst mycket. Bäst gillade jag Everybody knows (Except you).

More closer to 2 but okay overall.

Very over the top. A few good ideas but it just ended up washing over me and somewhat all blended together into a forgettable experience. Maybe I'll try again sometime.

very good but i'd probably only listen the one time

Quite good. Loved the first track, but then the follow up turned out to be so cliche I thought "In Pursuit of Happiness" was a fluke. Thankfully the rest was better. Still a bit cliche at times, but overall a good listen. Faves: "In Pursuit of Happiness", "Timewatching" Not fave: "Everybody Knows (Except You)" 3 1/2 stars.

Perfectly fine, a good listen with nothing much to complain about. Some interesting lyrics on some of the tracks mean I might have to relisten to this one at some point....

Quite an enjoyable listen, some good songs in it

Scott walker without the edge, that said I did enjoy this a good amount there are some lovely all be it cheesy passages and the instrumentals are sufficiently swiping

Enjoyed

Scott Walker wants his sound back Sometimes like a charmless Magnetic Fields. If Pulp overdid it on Jacques Brel. Sixth Form Poet wants his lyrics back. And yet, I think it's fine

I don't really understand why the Divine Comedy appear multiple times in this list, but this effort is at least shorter and less corny than 'Casanova'.

I like the Divine Comedy, I likle this album. Just some good, nice songs, something that this list is actually really lacking.

I don’t like this kind of low range, lazy, mysterious voices. But the music is nice. I like the arrangements.

weiss nanig was erwarte oke de erst song isch insane ah mier verbii everybody knows findi cuuuute, wenn au chli on the nose es isch soo dramatisch aber au fast überspitzt, fast wie satire? aber ich glaub sie meineds ernst? ich finds schono schön, sini fast apathischi stimm isch en coole gegesatz zude schöne und warme instrument sorry timewatching isch für mich chli es gewimmere bin chli vewirt. hans gfühl wennis na hüfiger lose und chli ide stimmig bin chönntsmer scho sehr gfalle? eso ischs eifach es 3

A Short Album About Love I’m not averse to a bit of The Divine Comedy, and I didn’t mind this at all. In someone else’s hands it could have been much worse (or if he had invited Ute Lemper along), he just about manages to stay the right side of musical theatre (apart from the cloying and annoying If) - whether that’s because he gives it a slight air of ironic detachment, or that it has a sense of humour, or that he is able to bring a sense of pop craft to it I’m not sure. And Everybody Knows is an excellent bit of chamber pop, a nice melody and a lovely arrangement without going too much into lounge pastiche. Overall, it’s a decent baroque pop album, and I might give it a spin again, but I am certainly glad it was actually short. I’ll go 3. 💏💏💏 Playlist submission: Everybody Knows

Interesting arrangements when it's not being a bit too obvious like on Everybody Knows. I don't know, I like the drama and the pomp.

This is #day566 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… well, yeah, a short album about love, as it is. Some orchestral pop, which I didn't mind, some crappy lyrics, which I did, in fact, mind. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day567.

High 3! I enjoyed it, but it didn’t leave any type of mark.

Still just sounds like geordie greep

Some songs I thought were brilliant and others were kooky and dramatic.

mdasmdkslandlasndlkas

Love IS this epic.

In Pursuit of Happiness 3 Everybody Knows (Except You) 3.4 Someone 3.4 If… 3.2 If I Were You (I'd Be Through with Me) 3.4 Timewatching 3 I'm All You Need 3.1 Score: 3.214285714

7/10

Never heard of this band before. The first song, In Pursuit of Happiness is joyful! Everybody Knows is a decent tune as well. If gets weird

🤷‍♀️

Indeed, a short, sweet 32 minute record, extended EP, from a band I had not yet known. I could hardly tell from when in history it originated, although it was a little too wry to be from the 60's. Like, if you were a hoooorse I'd gladly clean up your crap without complaining, and so on. With the velvety vocal I was thinking of Jonathan Bree, who is also kind of wry and unstuck from time. Great way to take the off-ramp from this timeline.

Hmm.. a strange affair the Divine Comedy. In parts some fine lyrical twists, often quite funny. While I know the name I am not familiar with them overall and on listening to this I wondered if this 'themed' album is typical of their output? This has a modern day Jacques Brel feel about it, which is fine if you like that but I find it difficult to revel in.

A bit eccentric, like something you'd hear in an art-coffee shop in the city.

6/10

un poco aburrido

Croony McCroonface Enjoyed the instrumentation on this, but the lyrics were pretty cheeseballs

2.5

Day757 - it sounds like the soundtrack to a farrelly brothers rom-com. i don’t love it but it’s kinda interesting

Bit of a hard one to rate because I loved the instrumentals, particularly on 'someone'. Lovely. The lyrics however were not so enjoyable... what the hell is up with this man and horses.

Very intrigued by the lyrics of ‘if…’. Unsure if intrigued is the right word as well

Cinematic and strange

This felt like an unusual inclusion in this list. It wasn't bad.

Never really given much time to TDC. The vocals, while not terrible, aren't very griping and the lyrically unimaginative at times. Musically good though, a good blend of alternative with orchestral vibes.

Heel apart..😋

Beautiful and sensual little album about love. It's gentle and inspiring, with comfortable melodies and harmonies throughout. Never knew of this one, but I dig it.

Ok crooner med spøjse tekster.

At first I thought "Dear God! Who the hell would put a SECOND album (let alone ONE) from this guy on a list of the top 1001 albums? STUPID" I still think that, but at least this album was much better than the last one I was asked to rate.

I think Chamber Pop is okay, just like “A Short Album About Love.” Of course, it has an old-fashioned—or revival—sound and offers no innovation whatsoever. But still, The Divine Comedy did a thoroughly professional job with the production, and the album never gets boring, even though it leans more toward easy listening. It's worth a listen. Whether it's a must-hear, I'm not so sure.

I’m kind of a sucker for big over the top productions like this. There were some high highs but also some lowish lows. Could rise with more listens

A nice sounding album that I think will grown on me the more I listen to it.

On first listen, I was slightly underwhelmed and believed I didn’t like it. Upon second listen, I began to see the vision. The bravado laden vocals paired with the orchestral instrumentation was oddly familiar. I started to think of artists like Kirin J. Callinan and some Mr. Bungle too. These are artists I quite like. It’s dramatic, sarcastic, and sounds quite nice. Not bad at all.

Enjoyed "If..." and "Someone" and the rest were quite decent. About what you would except from an album called such as this but overall I enjoyed it and didn't feel like a background noise. 3/5

Never heard of this before. Not sure where I stand on it yet

:/

J’ai l’impression d’être un résidant d’un hospice pour personnes âgés, pis ils nous ont fait venir un chanteur pour oublier notre malheur. Ok, c’est peut-être un peu dark, je voulais dire que ça ressemble à un album que tu trouverais dans la bin à rabais à la pharmacie, à côté des romans savons et coquin pour matante, mais là, ça y est, je me sens déjà mal de lui donner une mauvaise note.

Pretty interesting , quite short but don't really remember any of the tracks. Will probably have to give another listen.

Meh

"If you were a horse I'd clean the crap out of your stable [...] I could ride you through the fields at dawn Through the day until the day was gone" I didn't need to know that, dude. The music itself was quite good, though. Remove the lyrics that sound like a 12-year-old wrote them and I'd probably rate this a lot higher.

they really put the orchestral in orchestral rock i liked a lot of the riffs but then the singing i was not as much of a fan of

Well... That happened. Entirely neutral stageplay-esque album, decent singing and instrumentation. Nothing to make note of. - 90s. Low stream #s on Spotify. Curious... - Broadway soundtrack vibes? - Not bad but what is going on?

87/1001 First listen. I’ve never heard of The divine comedy. Nothing like I would normally listen to but with multiple plays it’s hooked me in. This guy sounds a little like Jim Morrison in places. He even says just break on through at one point. I don’t normally put any consideration into lyrics but these are hard to miss and hilarious at times. I’m not sure what to make of this. 5/10

This wasn't bad chamber pop. Better than 3 not a 4

I reviewed The Divine Comedy’s Casanova a few months ago, and I wasn’t really a fan of it. It wasn’t terrible to listen to, but it certainly didn’t snag my attention. I don’t have particularly high hopes for this follow-up to that album, but maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised. I thought A Short Album About Love was pretty good. Just like on Casanova, Neil Hannon’s vocals were great, but I found the songs on this album more interesting than the ones on Casanova, and I thought the arrangements on this album were better too. The slower songs on this album were a bit boring for my tastes, and there wasn’t a lot of variety in the sound from song to song, but the songs that built to really beautiful crescendos, like “In Pursuit of Happiness” and “Everybody Knows” were really good. This album had some very good string and horn arrangements, and overall, it was a pretty enjoyable listen. When it came to lyrics, I thought “If…” was really clever, and one of the stronger songs on the album. A Short Album About Love wasn’t totally my jam, but it was pleasant enough to listen to one time.

Bem interessante

I knew of them at the time this came out, but never listened, though certainly would have liked then. Not my current thing, and probably wouldn't seek out again, but I can see why it is liked

01) In Pursuit of Happiness - 6,5 02) Everybody Knows (Except You) - 6,5 03) Someone - 6,0 04) If... - 6,5 05) If I Were You (I'd Be Through with Me) - 6,5 06) Timewatching - 5,5 07) I'm All You Need - 6,5 TOTAL: 6,29 (63/100) Current ranking: 573/777

maybe an unpopular opinion but i like it

Nice and smooth.

A mixed bag. Some highlights here and there, kind of boring here and there. Almost a four for me.

So-so, I imagine there was a time when this would have been more to my liking but it didn’t really grab me.

Seems like a nice album, but I really did not need this right now.

A Short Album About Love is big, over the top and very orchestral. it almost reminds me of newer Father John Misty. Hannon’s voice is a strength. Overall it’s all just a bit much 6.0/10

Can't say I've heard of this group, but I can tell from the cover we've got another questionable 90s UK album. Huh, interesting first track. Surprisingly orchestral, kinda funny singer. I think I would have gotten really into this song in college. I enjoyed that. I feel like this must have influenced Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs Ended up kinda liking this, though I certainly won't return to it. 2.6/5

kinda average

It really was a short album! Lol kinda weird not the worst thing I've ever heard but just kinda meh

If there only was a 3.5. Silly, sappy and quite lovely.

I feel like the divine comedy were really popular with an extremely specific half/quarter generation. I kinda enjoy some of their stuff but I’m not going to decide to listen to it on my own.

Tracks: 1. sounds like something that might appear in a musical. Instrumentals are clearly used to build tension and ultimately lead to a calm & serene ending. 2. almost same „musical“ quality. simple premise. produces pictures of suburban next door boy in love. Almost sinister in its insistence by the end. 3. deeply comforting & introspective sound. 4. meh feels too simple and silly in combination with the serious of the instrumentals. 5. sure why not? 6. damn sad church/funeral vibes? 7. too similar to 2 & 4

Not as short as I'd hoped, but it's a fun album. The of music I like to sing, but not really listen to haha

instrumentally this album is actually so fire. I did judge the album by is cover and though it was going to be all sad depressing love songs. Loved his voice a ton not many that sound similar. Though i am curious about the song if??? like why did he say that stuff about the person being his dog and giving them table scraps??? what an odd choice

I thought this was an inventive, at times beautifully lush album. Some of the lyrics leave things to be desired, but I also enjoyed a lot of the arrangements and instrumentation. A great introduction to a band I want to learn more about, but not sure how enduring it will be

Exactly what it says on the tin. "ASAAL" begins with a jolly tune called "In Pursuit of Happiness". The album then gets progressively boring. There's nothing but inoffensive ballads. At least I didn't hate it. 3 stars for "A Short Album About Love".

Decent enough 3/5

The music far outweighs the singing and lyrics. It’s a shame everything couldn’t mesh. This could have been a top album for me. The Divine Comedy have done enough that I’m well aware of who they are. I know no song names and no band member names. I just know of them. I know I’m sounding like a broken record here but damn it’s a shame that the vocals are so weak. It’s like when Mike Patton records a cheesy b side. Yet his voice still sounds better than this. I’m torn. On the other hand this will be the 3rd album in a row where it should have been given a lower rating but I’m somewhat captivated by it which keeps me listening. Even if my ears were bleeding, I’d stay plugged in. This is like a less exciting Frank Sinatra singing over top of Radiohead unfinished songs in the Pablo Honey era. There, I said it.

Reviewing this so soon after 69 Love Songs is revealing. Stephen Merritt proves that brevity is the soul of wit; his observations land because he sticks and moves. Neil Hannon, on the other hand, lingers and languishes; he feels like he's wallowing in it, which makes his lyrics feel a bit banal rather than incisive. More than that, though, Merritt feels like he's in on the joke of being a lovesick worm; Hannon feels like he thinks he's in on the joke but actually isn't. Insert Vonnegut's observation about how we are what we pretend to be, so we must be very careful what we pretend to be.

Tried this one a few weeks ago and went back in today with the hopes that I could care this time. Sadly, the result is the same. This album, while admittedly not bad, was unable to do much for me. Some of the writing is quite witty (e.g., If...), but something about orchestral pop rarely clicks for me. I feel its the same reason that Father John Misty only occasionally works for me. In any event, not bad, but not my cup of tea. I'll go with a soft 3.

Very operatic. Certainly is short. Not much else to say really.

Album name very literal to the album. Was much more powerful singing than I expected. A few of those songs were really quite good. The middle 2-3 were quite meh. Enjoyable little 30 minuter. High 3

I remember randomly liking the quirkiness of the last Divine Comedy album we got. First song is giving the same vibes and production sounds great. It's like super upbeat lounge music. Not getting as into it as I remember the last album we had, just gets a bit too theatrical at points. "If you were a horse I'd clean the crap out of your stable" is an objectively hilarious lyric. Not as good as the last one I remember, but still pretty unique in a weird way.

I liked it but did I need to listen to it before I died?

Esta bien

alright, not bad

If Meat Loaf were still alive, I would tell him that I have a better lyric for one of his songs: "- On a hot summer night... Would you be cleaning the shit outta my stable? - Yes... - I bet you say that to all the horses..."

Instrumentally I thought it had a nice sound, and overall was just mellow and inoffensive. Lyrics were a bit cringe

I enjoyed the music, had an old school vibe.

A good find. I like some of the melodies, interesting voice.

6/10

Hokey, corny, cheesy, late 90’s tropey, but I kind of enjoyed it in a strange way.

I found that listening to this while taking a hot shower was the ideal way to experience this. Stepped out onto the bath mat just as the organs hit in the final song. This one takes itself a little more seriously than Casanova while still maintaining some of the humorous lyrics on songs like If… The arrangements are really good and I can tell that he had fun making this. Favorite songs were Everybody Knows, If I Were You, and I’m All You Need.

I knew absolutely nothing about this prior to listening. It's good. Really good in places. A mix of studio and live tracks. The production is decent and I was reminded of early Bowie quite often.

weird first start. the perspective of the guy is giving obsessed weirdo worst song: if best song: I’m all you need

Everybody Knows has been burned in my brain for decades. I like it. Much preferred the other Divine Comedy one we had

More than the sum of the songs. A good listen.

The reviews of this album are infinitely more entertaining than the album. I love how everyone has taken it so seriously and become infuriated by one particular line. The album is twee, orchestral and pretentious. It’s the intersection of Scott Walker and Noël Coward. It’s absolutely preposterous. All the tracks pretty much follow the same pattern, and it gets terribly wearing after about 10 minutes. However, think there is something weirdly compelling about the album. This album is the aural equivalent of watching a car crash - you know you don’t want to, but you can’t tear yourself away. When it’s done, and this album is over quick, you never want to hear it again, but it sticks with you longer than it should.

A slower traditional pop album. Lots of strings. Not my genre, kind of boring. Nicely written love songs though. 6/10

A genuinely enjoyable listen

Meh

Interesting. Seems like Nick Lowe.

Kinda get Geordie Green vibes, wonder if he's a fan. "Someone" and "If..." are a bit of standouts. Not much else I'm likely to return to. Kinda like the melody to the closer; the interplay between the organ stabs and the guitar.

J'aime trop ces relents theatraux moi (the Divine Comedy en meme temps) Y'a un cote épique, romanesque qui est souligné par la voix "Morrisonienne" du chanteur

Hmmm what will this be???? It's interesting, kinda like a musical Sorry won't be making it through this one. 2 Stars. Okay I kind of like Someone! Has a Frank Sinatra or one of those other big band singers. Okay I actually stuck around til the end and it honestly wasn't that bad. There were some pretty songs. I'll give it 3 stars.

It’s tough to understand why this artist appears twice on the list. There’s nothing here that’s memorable.

First off, I appreciate this album stayed true to its stated goal of being “a short album.” And yes, it was also about love. But it got points for being short. The entire album reminds me of the Faith No More version of “This Guy’s In Love With You,” which was kind of cool as a one off. But as a whole album, it got a bit much.

This record sounds like a clear combination of musical perfection and miserable sound. So, on average, it gives us...

Well. By Jason's metric, I suppose I needed to hear this. It was certainly entertaining, in a B-movie sort of way. I dig heavily orchestrated stuff, so I found the music to be pretty cool at times. So the real issue here is this damn singer. I don't think I have ever heard such a dichotomy between the content of the lyrics ("If you were a horse, I'd clean the crap out of your stable nd never once complain") and the way in which the lyrics were sung. Hello, Johnny Mathis. Y'know . . . I'm gonna round up just for the chutzpah of the whole endeavor.

Good album

The album started off strong. It has a strong theatrical feel to it. The album losses it's way after the strong start with the bizarre lyrics of If.... I think the less said about if... the better. The album also feels overly dramatic.

Britanski mediji su devedesetih obožavali ovakve stvari, meni je ovo dosadnjikavo

this one is a decent 3.5

Would you like some cheese on your cheese?

When you buy Scott Walker on Temu.

Micro-waved Scott Walker. Enjoyable and good stuff, but I can't feel the appeal to get back to it!

Great musicianship, but not for me

Very beautiful and easy listening. Seems like an album that's great to drink.

A well produced album with some interesting instrumental aspects. The first songs were too much for me but after If.. I quite enjoyed the journey. His newest release describe the use of his music well: its music for a boring Sunday afternoon.

Not an unpleasant listen, but wtf. Man falls in love with horse?

Nice enough, another genre-less album - excellent vocals and orchestral backing.

Quite daint

Great

Solid songs, but rather strange?

This was a little unusual, but I sorta enjoyed it. Big production. It was almost had a Father John Misty vibe to it. I wonder if Divine Comedy had any influence on FJM?

Yeahhhh… its definitely an album about love. Not sure

The orchestration and vocals were really good on this album.

6/10 - some great funny lyrics on this, with "if..." With his lover as a horse he would be happy to clean the crap out of the stable, gave me and the wife a chuckle

It's either an ode to the love songs of the 50s and 60s, or a parody of them. Either way, it's ok. Not mind blowing, but it has some nice instrumentation and orchestration.

Irish Neil Diamond? I mean, Neil Hannon. This album is all about grand gestures - orchestral swells, lush arrangements, and a voice that could sell out a Vegas residency if it wanted to. It really does have that Neil Diamond energy - but dressed in Irish charm and a bit more irony. I admire it, even if it’s not quite my cup of tea.

I was surprised this came out in 1997, while listening I assumed it had been made at least 10 years later. Similar in tone to 69 Love Songs by the Magnetic Fields, which is not a bad thing. I did like it… but it did start to wear me down after a while.

The songs were unremarkable, they were good for generic love songs but I didnt see what stood then apart from everything else

Was good. Nothing crazy to me.

Really enjoyed a few tracks. Bit corny all in

decent enjoyed this

kinda weird but not unlistenable

It's aight. Not really my thing. I bet I would love it if I listened a whole lot more.

I’ll always have a soft spot for Neil Hannon purely because he wrote the Father Ted theme. This album didn’t really grab me but it was enjoyable enough. Favourite song: If I Were You (I’d Be Through With Me)

Short, good vibes, well made. Not exceptional but by no means bad.

An album of songs that all belong in the last scene of a Zach Braff indie movie

🗯 It’s exactly what the title suggests — lush, witty, and romantic, but maybe a little too polite for me to return to. The production is mint: strings sweep, arrangements sparkle, and Neil Hannon’s croon has a theatrical charm that carries the whole record. It’s clever and beautifully made, but on my listen nothing really hooked deep enough to demand a return visit. Not bad, not unlistenable — just a pleasant listen that passes without leaving much of a dent. Verdict: Fine but not essential For fans of: Pulp, Scott Walker, chamber pop with a wink and a tuxedo

Kivoja melodioita, joskin välillä biiseissä oli hyvin outoja ja irrallisia kohtia kuten "If" loppu. Myös sanoituksissa toistuvat eläinviittaukset vähän omituisia kuten "If you were a horse I'd clean the crap out of your stable". Mutta ihan hyvä kuunneltava ja sopivan pituinen albumi.

Different - and enjoyed it

I never heard about this album before. Overall content was okay but I wasn’t totally on board with some of the songs

This was pretty forgettable. One of the songs sounded like Frank Sinatra so that was something.

6/10

If Scott 2 was good. Fave song: In Pursuit of Happiness

enjoyable, just good

A little bit sappy, but I guess that’s what you get on an album about love.

Wanted to hate it, but the guitar work is so smooth and nice on some tracks. Also not my thing, but had fun. I want love songs to be like this not the 80s pop drama

This guy has dedicated his life to write the best love song, and he's given it a good go.

Good album

El álbum empieza muy bien, pero en la 4 canción baja el nivel y se hacen todas muy parecidas

Another first time artist and album for me. Thanks for the introduction!

6/10. Not particularly my taste. Might listen to it again but mostly not.

Clever and cheeky, sure, and assuredly executed, but did we really need two of these louche-y larks? For Godfather 2 or the Empire Strikes Back this is not. It's less outrageous (or obvious) than Casanova, and so its seems likely that the jokes were lost on even more people. The most germane questions might be how often the hipsters (the purported intended audience) who bought this in the late '90s listen to it now and whether they feel good about their purchase today?

#38 A Short Album About Love ~ The Divine Comedy The Divine Comedy is such a funny fucking band. The reason is that Neil Hannon is really good at writing awfully cheesy showtunes with lyrics that long for the 50s and 60s and instrumentals from the 70s. Today he's more known for writing TV show themes and songs for musicals. In fact he wrote the songs for Wonka recently. And now I need to tell you this sappy kitsch music got him famous in 90s Britain, in between the dance music of Fatboy Slim, 808 State, Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy, the boy and girl bands of Take That and Spice Girls, and the Britpop movement. So this pretentious middle-class fop with a love for parody and pastiche was always going to be a underdog in the music scene. But taking a deep listen, you can see the guy had talent. There is some seriously bold production evident and the sound of the album is very strong. The instruments, which involves a chamber orchestra, go through some incredibly beautiful moments to contrast some incredibly goofy sarcastic lyrics. 'Everybody Knows (Except You)' the second track has some incredible cartharsis for absolutely no reason except it sounds cool when Hannon sings about basically sinking a cock into someone. And most of these songs are just incredibly cheesy in a really funny way. You will hear lyrics never uttered before (If you were a horse, I'd clean the crap out of your stable, and never once complain if you were a horse). But Neil Hannon didn't necessarily mind too much, he wanted to get people sappy and happy, and this is definitely a sappy, happy funny album with some truly incredible orchestral sounds to boot. It must be said, that his later albums are definitely better than this because they were a lot more serious than this, but A Short Album About Love is most certainly Hannon's most consistent and capturing of a vision: to create the soundtrack of a melodramatic sitcom. And I can't be too mad about that. This is simply just one of the funniest albums out there, an album that has insane over-the-top instrumentals for incredibly corny over-the-top lyrics.

Me gustó pero probablemente no lo vuelva a escuchar

it's giving jazz it's giving india and it's giving musical no ha estado mal supongo no me he parado ha escuchar la letra 2.5/5 canción que más me ha gustado: someone

Fine.

Alright album, they have a very novelty-song feel to their songwriting but it wasn't too heavy with that on this album, just an album full of slightly interesting suit-and-bowtie-pop songs, not the most exciting but don't mind a first listen

7/10 The lyrics are laying it on a bit too thick, but Im a sucker for dramatic music. Highlight: In Pursuit of Happiness Someone

less sexual pulp = more boring pulp

Cute! I enjoyed the word play for the love songs

Rating: 6/10 An album about a man wishing his lover was a dog or horse so he can bang her. A love story for the ages.

Its like watching Juno movie all over the album.

Blind album and artist. Nothing notable but not bad I guess.

Irish Burt Bacharach? Sometimes I think the problem is not knowing how to categorize the music in my head. Orchestral crashes, syrupy almost schmaltzy singing. Imaginative and often outlandish lyrics. What do I do with this? It took me a second listen to start to appreciate. I do love the over-the-topness of If…. “If you were a horse, I would clean the crap out of your stable, and never once complain.” That’s just hysterical.

I don't really care for this. very moany. very morrisey-esque. The later tracks are better. someone is good. it is quite strange. somewhere between radiohead and a james bond soundtrack. 3/5

Reminded me of Neil Diamond and Leonard Cohen. It's theatrical and sometimes silly (If you were a horse I'd clean the crap out of your stable.) Not really my style of music, but it's OK.

Truly never heard of this artist. Not my style, very interesting though. Cool stuff.

On the lower end of 3 stars

in pursuit of happiness- 5 everybody knows- the chorus is good. 5 or 6 someone- 5 if- 4 if i were you- 5 timewatching- 4 im all you need- 5 he didnt lie, it was a short album about love

Surprised, but not surprised by how theatrical this album was considering Neil Hannon works a lot composing for TV and film, including writing the songs for Wonka. Funny to see he was a performer in Stuart Murdoch's "God Save the Girl" movie because Stuart mentioned him when we met as a person his wife wants him to be more like--because he's getting paid to write songs for movies. That all being said, I can appreciate why this album is on the list, but just wasn't my cup of tea.

2,5

Everything from the lyrics to the vocals was ROUGH! This was so bad, I was cracking up. As far as my listening preferences are concerned this deserves a one. As far as entertainment value I would give this a 5. Thanks for the very unique experience I will never repeat in my life.

More wonderful weirdness from The Divine Comedy! Liked Cassanova better, but props again for being such a unique thing in the late 90's. 3.25

Pleasant. Amusing.

I know the Casanova album (the one before this) and liked some of Hannon's whimsical ways. I never got this but the single Everybody Knows (Except You) is one of their best songs and If... contains the memorable line 'If you were a horse, I'd clean the crap out of your stable' but it's really just a glorified EP. Seven tracks and just over half and hour, I've already forgotten most of the rest.

"If you were a horse, I'd clean the crap out of your stable."

If you were a horse, I'd shovel your shit! This one was weird. While I liked the sound and the David Bowie and Scott Walker influence, the lyrics and subject matter left something to be desired. Maybe I'll have to come back to it.

Scott Walker influenced chamber pop. Pleasant songs. The humour in the songs is good, occasionally odd. “If you were a horse, I’d clean the crap out of your stable”. If this didn’t make the list, nobody would have noticed. I do like a crooner mind. Low 3/5