This article needs additional citations for verification .(May 2010) |
Absent Friends | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 29 March 2004 (UK & Europe) 4 May 2004 (US) | |||
Recorded | 2001–03 | |||
Studio | RAK, St John's Wood, London and Konk, London | |||
Genre | Chamber pop, alternative rock | |||
Length | 45:56 | |||
Label | Parlophone (UK & Europe) Nettwerk (US) | |||
Producer | Neil Hannon | |||
The Divine Comedy chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Absent Friends | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
The Divine Comedy - Absent Friends on YouTube |
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
BBC | favourable [2] |
Blender | [3] |
The Guardian | [4] |
Mojo | [5] |
musicOMH | favourable [6] |
Pitchfork Media | (7.8/10) [7] |
PopMatters | favourable [8] |
Q | [9] |
Absent Friends is the eighth studio album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy,released in 2004 by Parlophone in the UK and Nettwerk in the U.S. Two singles were released from the album in the UK:"Come Home Billy Bird",which features former Kenickie vocalist Lauren Laverne on vocals,and the album's title track.
Neil Hannon was the only member of the Divine Comedy by this point,as the band had split up shortly after the release of 2001's Regeneration . Hannon had decided to continue using the Divine Comedy name for this album and was aided by long-time collaborator Joby Talbot,who arranged and conducted the orchestra.
The album was recorded at RAK Studios and Konk Studios in London by Guy Massey,with help from Raj Das and Chris Bolster. It was mixed at Mayfair Studios by Nigel Godrich,who was assisted by Dan Grech-Marguerat.
Reviewing the album for Pitchfork,Joe Tangari said:
Even if you're resistant to Hannon's grandiosity,it's hard to deny the lush sweep of the album's opening title track,a song that confirms his place as the closest thing to an inheritor of Scott Walker's mantle as we're likely to get. The orchestration is expert and economical,and Nigel Godrich,bumped from the producer's chair to the mixing board this time around,perfectly stacks the song's elements to make them sound absolutely huge. Hannon's tenor is commanding,and he spins an incredible melody as he runs through a series of tributes to 20th century icons whose lives ended prematurely,from French actress Jean Seberg to Laika,the first dog in space. [10]
All songs written by Neil Hannon.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Absent Friends" | 3:40 |
2. | "Sticks and Stones" | 4:48 |
3. | "Leaving Today" | 4:18 |
4. | "Come Home Billy Bird" | 4:07 |
5. | "My Imaginary Friend" | 2:43 |
6. | "The Wreck of the Beautiful" | 4:58 |
7. | "Our Mutual Friend" | 5:58 |
8. | "The Happy Goth" | 3:36 |
9. | "Freedom Road" | 3:55 |
10. | "Laika's Theme" (instrumental) | 3:07 |
11. | "Charmed Life" | 4:41 |
Total length: | 45:56 |
Orchestra arranged and conducted by Joby Talbot.
Edward Neil Anthony Hannon is a singer and songwriter from Northern Ireland. He is the creator and front man of the chamber pop group The Divine Comedy, and is the band's sole constant member. Hannon wrote the theme tunes for the television sitcoms Father Ted and The IT Crowd.
The Divine Comedy are a pop band from Northern Ireland, formed in 1989 and fronted by Neil Hannon. Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation except drums. The band has released 12 studio albums. Between 1996 and 1999, nine singles released by the band made the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, including the 1999 top ten hit, "National Express".
Terror Twilight is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Pavement, released on June 8, 1999, on Matador Records in the US and Domino Recording Company in the UK.
Joby Talbot is a British composer. He has written for a wide variety of purposes and an accordingly broad range of styles, including instrumental and vocal concert music, film and television scores, pop arrangements and works for dance. He is therefore known to sometimes disparate audiences for quite different works.
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard is the thirteenth solo studio album by Paul McCartney, released on 12 and 13 September, 2005. Some 18 months in the making, the album was produced by Radiohead and Beck collaborator Nigel Godrich at George Martin's suggestion.
Liberation is the second album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released on 18 August 1993 by Setanta Records. Following the unsuccessful Fanfare for the Comic Muse, the group started improvising on their new album which was recorded in Fundamental, London in March 1993. Although it was the band's second album, the band's leader, Neil Hannon, often refers to it as the first, due to the stylistic differences from their debut album, Fanfare for the Comic Muse.
Promenade is the third album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 1994 on Setanta Records.
Casanova is the fourth studio album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy. It was released in 1996 by Setanta Records, and it happened to be the band's commercial breakthrough. It was certified Gold in the UK in July 1997, aided by the release of the album's first single, "Something for the Weekend", which reached No. 13 on the charts. Two other singles released from the album, "Becoming More Like Alfie" and "The Frog Princess", charted at No. 27 and No. 15, respectively.
Waiting for the Moon is the sixth studio album by Tindersticks. Recorded between September 2001 and January 2003 at Great Linford Manor, Eastcote and various home studios, the long-player was released on the Beggar's Banquet label in 2003. This was the last Tindersticks album to feature the band's original lineup before their extended hiatus and subsequent departure of half the band. Tindersticks member David Boulter later selected it as his least favorite Tindersticks album, remarking: "It has a feeling of something that was lost—the feeling that the band hadn't been great for a couple of albums."
Victory for the Comic Muse is the ninth studio album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 2006 by EMI.
5:55 is the second album by French musician and actress Charlotte Gainsbourg. It was also her first album in twenty years. Charlotte collaborated on the album with French duo Air, English musician Jarvis Cocker, Irish singer-songwriter Neil Hannon, and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. "The Songs That We Sing" and "5:55" were released as singles. The album went platinum in France, selling over 500,000 copies. In the United States, the album sold 22,000 copies. "The Songs That We Sing" was No. 78 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.
Regeneration is the seventh studio album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 2001 by Parlophone/EMI. Three singles were released from the album: "Love What You Do", "Bad Ambassador" and "Perfect Lovesong", the latter failing to make the top 40.
Fin de Siècle is the sixth album by Northern Irish pop band the Divine Comedy. It was released on 31 August 1998 by Setanta Records. Following the release of fifth studio album A Short Album About Love (1997), frontman Neil Hannon demoed new material at his flat in Clapham. During this time, the relationship between the band and their label Setanta Records was straining as a result of heated discussions over tour costs and studio sessions. They recorded their next album in three studios with Jon Jacobs as the main producer and Hannon co-producing. Fin de Siècle is a chamber pop concept album that details living in the 20th century.
A Short Album About Love is the fifth studio album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released in 1997 by Setanta Records. It was recorded on 20 October 1996 at Shepherd's Bush Empire, London.
Pocket Symphony is the fourth studio album by French electronic music duo Air, released on 5 March 2007 by Virgin Records. It features collaborations with Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon. Pocket Symphony incorporates some of the Japanese instruments Godin had recently learned to play from an Okinawan master musician: the koto and the three-string, banjo-like shamisen. However, a press release claims that "conventional instruments continue to play a great role" in the duo's music. The album features art by Xavier Veilhan.
Punishing Kiss is a studio album by German singer Ute Lemper, released in 2000 by Decca Records. It is the product of a collaboration between Lemper and the Divine Comedy and includes songs by the latter artist, as well as Nick Cave, Elvis Costello, Philip Glass, Tom Waits, Scott Walker and Ute Lemper's signature artist, Kurt Weill.
Bang Goes the Knighthood is the tenth studio album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy, released on 31 May 2010 by Divine Comedy Records.
Daniel James Grech-Marguerat, is an English-Maltese recording engineer, record producer and mixer.
Father Divine is a studio album by American hip hop musician Mike Ladd. It was released on ROIR in 2005.
Charlotte Glasson is a British multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer and session player, playing soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone, flute, alto flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet, violin and viola, penny whistle, melodica, percussion, and saw.