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, CorkNeil 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
Categories: Album of the Week, Best Albums, Header, Music