SOUNDTRACK: THE DIVINE COMEDY-Casanova (1996)
Following Promenade, Neil Hannon released Casanova. Stylistically it is very different. It features more of a band, rather than an orchestra (although it retains an orchestral feel). Perhaps because of this, there were three singles from the album, all of which charted in the UK. “Something for the Weekend” is a wonderfully fun song, full of twists and double crosses, sex and debauchery and, of course, something in the woodshed (all in just over 4 minutes). It’s a fantastic lead off single.
The second track was the second single “Becoming More Like Alfie.” This was long before the remake of the movie Alfie, so I had no idea what the song was referring to. I have not seen either version of the film, but I know now that Alfie is a ladies man, as the chorus leads off, “Everybody knows that no means yes…”
In fact, the whole album deals with sex. Loving sex, debauched sex. Sex, sex, sex.
“Songs of Love” follows a few of the more debauched songs with a beautiful ballad of a shy young man who sits in his bedroom noticing that “while they search for a mate/My type hibernate/In bedrooms above/Composing their songs of love.” The next song “The Frog Princess” was the third single. It is a sweet and tender ballad of love. Until you get to the end of the song in which the narrator wonders, “But how was I to know that just one kiss/Could turn my frog into a cow?”
The album is solid and wholly enjoyable. And it’s clear that Neil wasn’t done with songs about love as shortly after Casanova he released A Short Album About Love.
READ: [December 2008] No Dead Time
From time to time I do an order directly from Oni Press. I tend to order a bunch of graphic novels at a time, and this was one that sounded interesting. The general premise is that Nozomi is a young girl who works in a record store. She’s fed up with the stupid people she has to deal with all day. (“You were looking for (Led) Zeppelin under Z, weren’t you?”) Meanwhile Seth is an IT guy who is sick of the corporate world, and sick of dealing with his boss.
But really the first thing you notice about this comic, is the totally bizarre looking characters. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 