818. The Divine Comedy - Casanova (1996)















Track Listing

1. Something for the Weekend
2. Becoming More Like Alfie
3. Middle-Class Heroes
4. In & Out of Paris & London
5. Charge
6. Songs of Love
7. The Frog Princess
8. A Woman of the World
9. Through A Long & Sleepless Night
10. Theme From Casanova
11. The Dogs & The Horses

Review

Fun baroque pop doesn't come around that often. I have always been a lover of the style, from the Beach Boys and Scott Walker to Love and beyond. The Divine Comedy are firmly in the Scott Walker style of Baroque Pop.

The Scott Walker early albums influence is obvious thorughout, to the point the album often sounds derivative. However we need to remind ourselves that even the great Scott Walker was mainly channelling and covering Brel in those cherished albums.

So no one is innocent here. In the end the lyrics are pretty great, with a sense of witty fun around the subject of love and sex as the title shows. Interestingly the album gains from knowledge of its influences, being aware of Scott Walker actually makes the album more fun in the way it is sometimes sounds as a mockery of his grandiose style. As a bit of fun this album is a great addition to anyone's library, only don't expect originality.

Track Highlights

1. Something for the Weekend
2. Frog Princess
3. Theme From Casanova
4. The Dogs & The Horses

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

"The Dogs and the Horses" is very close to the musical style of Scott Walker's first four solo albums. "Through a Long and Sleepless Night," a track off Casanova, shares the same title as a track off of Scott's first solo album.


Something For The Weekend: