Liberation, Divine Comedy, 1993, :51
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
This is the second album under the name Divine Comedy, but the first that followed Neil Hannon's artistic vision and marked a change in style. Hannon played guitar, bass, and keyboard on this, but it's hardly a one-man effort; there's percussion and a string session. Anyway, this is ornate, lush orchestral pop of the typical Divine Comedy style. His sound really coalesced quickly. The instrumental "Europe By Train" gets tiresome and is overlong; Hannon's strength is in his robust, fruity, public-school British voice and literate, witty lyrics. If you like Belle & Sebastian, and if you don't you're a yokel with no taste, you'll like this. Favorite tracks: "Your Daddy's Car," "The Pop Singer's Fear Of the Pollen Count," "Lucy."
