379 of 1001 Albums: The Divine Comedy's A Short Album About Love

The Divine Comedy seems to have a lot of Scott Walker running through their music. Neil Hannon though knows how to make his voicing have some unique characteristics with each song though, and as each song plays the album does get better. The album though is truly unique in style though. The music is very operatic and instrumentally driven in tone.

History: There isn't too much out there regarding this album.  Neil Hannon is the memorable vocalist, and has been the only consistent member of the band. He's even had to do the instrumentals all by himself at times. The Northern Irish band though make for some interesting sounds that can be identified as chamber pop. A Short Album About Love is one of the band's most popular albums though, and from the peak of their career.


Vocals: Hannon's vocals really are the highlight of the album. He has the baritone style voice that sounds really well, and is rarer to find that other vocals. Also, the classic style he lets his voice sit in and perform works, especially with the instrumental arrangement backing him. I also like how he has worked with the lyrics to theme the song to fit the mood of his vocals. The lyrics on the album are quite powerful, and I think they've given the style a modern spin that works to create a lot of emotions.

Instrumentals: The instrumentals have a very grand sound. You have instruments like the guitar and drums, but then weaved in are orchestral arrangements that add a lot to the distinctive sound of the album. There is also an organ featured in some songs. It seems like it just takes the opportunity to explore what different instruments can add to the album.

Recording: The recording is interesting. This band purposely went for a style that has been around a while, and I think conformed to keep it to it's distinctive style even though they recorded it in the 90's. It could easily be a sound you hear in the 60's though. In a sense this makes it dated to a style, but also timeless because they proved that this style could expand over time.

The Divine Comedy is probably mostly just for people who are already into this particular style because I don't imagine it meshing with people who already have a strong taste somewhere else. It was nearer to the end where the album really began to press upon me, and get me involved in listening more with tunes like "I'm All You Need" and songs earlier in the album that struck me with the lyrics like ""If..." The album though is good from beginning to end, but you don't realize how much so till you get to the end.

Rating 8 of 10.