We haven't heard of Neil Hannon for quite a few years now. Five to be exact, and it is always great to have him back. Even from the early Nineties when he popped up on the scene, as "The Divine Comedy", it was always hard to pin down him, both lyrically and even more so musically. Divine Comedy was an indicator of what you can expect. But then Dante was always big in Ireland. Of course, so was James Joyce, one (but only one) of Hannon's lyrical inspirations. Such a combination might sound pretentious on paper, but in Hannon's case it works and is complementary to the music he makes.
Ah, the music. Saying that it is, for example, any form of rock would be a misnomer. Hannon does utilise modern instrumentation, but what he comes up with is a combination of pre-WWII pop music, chanson, baroque pop, or the melodic side of Scott Walker. Actually, all of those, and making sense when you listen to it.
"Foreverland" came out a few months back, but now a deluxe edition popped up, beefed up by a full album of a musical diary, so it was high time to give it a mention. The "standard" part is exactly what Hannon fans (myself included) would expect. Excellent tunes, perfect arrangements, great lyrics. Some critics were exactly that - critics, saying that Hannon is repeating himself. The thing is though that this is one of those "grower" albums, the more you give them a spin, the better they sound, and as is usual with Divine Comedy, the intricacy of the music and lyrics always leaves something yet to be discovered.
The additional Diary album is exactly that: a musical diary, Hannon's voice with sparse and not so sparse backing, with dates songs were written on as titles. These are not only a perfect showcase of Hannons compositioal process, but great musical vignettes, even if a few of them run well over the four minute mark. Hannon fans surely have this one in their collection already. For those who are not fans yet, it might be a great time to give him (another) listen.
