Album of the Week – 07/06/19 – The Divine Comedy – Office Politics

Is anyone even vaguely surprised with what we’ve gone for this week? There was only one real contender and that’s Neil. What other album released this week has song titles like “The Synthesiser Service Centre Super Summer Sale”? What other album has a song about a sit-com based on the early lives of Steve Reich and Philip Glass in New York in the sixties (Philip And Steve’s Furniture Removal Company)? There’s only one Neil Hannon.

That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of other quality releases this week. Plaid have just released a gem in the form of Polymer. Perry Farrell has just released his first solo album in 18 years with Kind Heaven. Tim Heidecker is always interesting and has just released What The Brokenhearted Do…

LIVE DATES ANNOUNCED –
October 6th – Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin
October 7th –  Belfast, Ulster Hall, Belfast
October 8th – Cork Opera House, Cork

Neil Hannon, one of the country’s foremost songwriters, releases a wonderful new Divine Comedy album Office Politics on June 7th. It’s the follow-up to the acclaimed top ten 2016 album Foreverland.

Office Politics is a 16 track tour de force full of inventive, timeless music peopled with a typically irreverent cast of characters. “It has synthesizers. And songs about synthesizers,” Neil says. “But don’t panic. It also has guitars, orchestras, accordions, and songs about love and greed.” But Office Politics central characters are the machines. Or ‘Infernal Machines’ as one track rages. 

“I do try to make normal records,” Neil says with a smile. ”But it always seems to wander off into odd territories.”

Other Releases – 

Aurora – A Different Kind Of Human

Cave In – Final Transmission

Dinosaur Pile-Up – Celebrity Mansions

Dylan LeBlanc – Renegade

Froth – Duress

Future – SAVE ME

Gloria Gaynor – Testimony

Keel Her – With Kindness

Kevin Richard Martin – Sirens [Solo release for The Bug]

Lust for Youth – Lust for Youth

Mark Mulcahy – The Gus

Neil Young – TUSCALOOSA [Live 1973 concert]

Palehound – Black Friday

Pelican – Nighttime Stories

Perry Farrell – Kind Heaven

Peter Frampton – All Blues [Covers album]

Peter Perrett – Humanworld

Pixx – Small Mercies

Plague Vendor – By Night

Plaid – Polymer

Silversun Pickups – Widow’s Weeds

Tim Heidecker – What The Brokenhearted Do…

Younghusband – Swimmers

​Yeasayer – Erotic Reruns