DIVINE COMEDY - Victory For The Comic Muse Review

Neil Hannon's affinity with the Britpop era was sealed when his hit Something for the Weekend provided a title for Denise Van Outen's ghastly TV programme. On the evidence of recent albums, that seems to have depressed Hannon as much as anybody. However, this triumphant comeback sees him rediscovering his old sauce and joie de vivre....full text Neil Hannon has been treading water for far too long, and just when you were expecting him to succumb to the ocean, along comes the air ambulance. Hannon's diffident dabbling has become the hallmark of recent frustratingly pedestrian outings, but it's with 'Victory for the Comic Muse' that he puts this hesitancy to the sword and returns to writing simplistic and well crafted tunes that charm you with their wit and air of modest grandiosity....full text Despite the dozens of artists who have performed in The Divine Comedy, Neil Hannon has always been the distinguished leader. Hannon has been producing excellent melodic orchestra pop even before the band broke out with 1996’s Casanova....full text Long before the rosy cheeked Keane, nicely spoken Coldplay - and, dear me, Lily Allen - were lambasted for daring to be middle class, Neil Hannon was the hate figure du jour of the tackier music publications. Such people never got - and still don't get - Hannon, a son of a bishop (dear Lord!) with a passing penchant for the pretentious, poncy and piffling....full text