一聽音樂網

由英國流行樂壇的鬼才音樂人Neil Hannon化名的一人團體The Divine Comedy (以下簡稱DC)，在結束了2004年為專輯Absent Friends展開的巡回之后，回到都柏林家中，厭倦著長期重覆聽見自已相同的聲音，他將自己投入其他的案子中。在他的閣樓里，他為Graham Linehan的情境喜劇“The IT Crowd”編寫主題曲，為Jane Birkin新專輯“Fictions”跨刀單曲Home，為Charlotte Gainbourg制作專輯，與前Robbie William御用詞曲編寫/制作人Guy Chambers共同為新人Laura Michelle Kelly寫了兩首歌曲，還為電影“The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy星際大奇航”跨刀電影配樂，另外他還企圖將德國名曲Lili Marlene（莉莉瑪蓮）及Depeche Mode的 Question Of Time等歌曲重新演唱為DC的首張翻唱專輯。去年九月，Hannon算算自己心里至少已經有超過30首作品在蘊釀。他說：‘因為我總是在幫別人寫歌，’…‘它就從我的腦袋跰了出來，就像大開的閘門，所以我覺得我應該再作張專輯來清清我的桌子了！我想就開始把，人生難得有幾次這么隨性?！谑撬伊?8位頂尖新樂人齊聚倫敦最古老的RAK錄音室，共同錄制專輯中的18首歌曲。終于Neil Hannon完成了DC的第九張完美的作品，‘Victory For The Comic Muse勝利的喜劇女神’。 The Divine Comedy is the alias for Neil Hannon, a British pop singer/songwriter with aspirations of becoming a new wave fusion of Scott Walker, Morrissey, and Electric Light Orchestra. During the early 90s, he built up a strong cult following with a pair of idiosyncratic, critically acclaimed records before his third album, Casanova, became a mainstream success in the wake of Britpop and Pulps popularity. Becoming More Like Alfie and Something for the Weekend, both pulled from Casanova, became hits after receiving significant airplay from Radio 1 DJ Chris Evans, and the Divine Comedy moved from British indie rock favorites to a minor mainstream cult in their own right. Originally, the Divine Comedy was an R.E.M.-influenced guitar-driven trio, formed in Londonderry, Ireland, by Neil Hannon (vocals, guitar; born in Londonderry, Ireland, November 7, 1970), John McCullagh (bass), and Kevin Traynor (drums). Inspired by R.E.M., the trio released an EP, Fanfare for the Comic Muse, in the spring of 1990 and supported the record with a few concerts, including a supporting slot for My Bloody Valentine. In 1991, John Allen joined the band as lead vocalist, and the group released the EP Timewatch, which was recorded when Hannon was still vocalist, that fall. The following year, they relocated to London, where they regularly supported Suede on club gigs. Produced by Edwyn Collins, the Europop EP was released later in 1992. It was the last recording the original lineup would release. Following Europop, the Divine Comedy fell apart, and Hannon went back to Londonderry, where he began to write songs again. In 1993, he was signed to Setanta as the Divine Comedy and released Liberation to positive reviews. Promenade followed in 1994, again to positive reviews throughout the U.K. music press; it appeared on year-end lists from NME, Melody Maker, and Q, among others. Following the release of Promenade, Blur, Oasis, and Pulp made British indie rock acceptable for the pop mainstream, and the Divine Comedy benefited from their progress. Released early in 1996, Casanova was greeted with enthusiastic reviews and it slowly began to build an audience. Something for the Weekend became a staple on Chris Evans radio show, and he had the Divine Comedy on his TFI Friday television show, the first TV appearance for Hannon. When it was released as a single a month later, Something for the Weekend entered the charts at 14. Soon, Hannon was appearing not only on the cover of Melody Maker, but there were articles about him throughout mainstream press, from The Guardian to Just Seventeen. Becoming More Like Alfie was released in August, and while it peaked at 27, it nevertheless expanded the bands audience, as did The Frog Princess, which reached 15 in November. The Divine Comedy supported the final single with a tour with a 30-piece orchestra, culminating with a concert at Lond Shepherds Bush Empire, which provided the basis for the bands next album, A Short Album About Love. Released to coincide with Valentines Day 1997, A Short Album About Love was greeted with positive reviews and the strongest initial sales of any Divine Comedy record to date. In 1999, the Divine Comedy celebrated ten years; they also ended their deal with Setanta Records. The release of A Secret History marked the occasion, but Hannon had his hand in other projects. He contributed vocals to Tom Jones Reload as well as Ute Lempers album Punishing Kiss. A new deal with Parlophone surfaced at the dawning of the new millennium and Hannon headed into the studio with producer Nigel Godrich. The end result was the stunning Regeneration. This particular album focused on the seven bandmembers as a whole, probably their finest effort since 1996s Casanova. Unfortunately, it was also the last release with the band. Hannon expressed a need to go solo, and he picked up an acoustic guitar and played several club gigs before joining piano man Ben Folds for a slew of American dates in spring 2002. In 2004, after moving to Dublin and becoming a father, Hannon — the only remaining member — released the critically acclaimed, self-produced Absent Friends, a sincere return to form that reunited him with Godrich and longtime collaborator Joby Talbot. Hannon returned to the studio in 2006 for the Divine Comedys ninth album, Victory for the Comic Muse, which utilized 28 other musicians and was recorded in just two weeks.