Album Review: Rainy Sunday Afternoon by The Divine Comedy

Neil Hannon’s best album in years sports his characteristic wit and orchestral flourishes. But its personal subject matter elevates these songs to something greater As its title may suggest, Neil Hannon’s 13th studio album as The Divine Comedy is a mile away from jaunty songs about woodsheds and National Express coaches. After the joy and whimsy of his soundtrack to Wonka, Rainy Sunday Afternoon finds him far more contemplative and wistful.

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There's a point in 'All The Pretty Lights', the bewitching centrepiece of Neil Hannon's thirteenth album as The Divine Comedy, where he pauses to question the accuracy of the cherished childhood memories to which he has long clung. Reflecting on the stark contrast of sparkling festive London after flying in from Seventies Northern Ireland, he pauses to wonder, "was there snow? I don't know. It's all mixed up with Peter Pan." A different blurring of the lines has gently blighted some people's perception of his work over the past thirty-five years, condensed memories built upon one woodshed and a budget bus journey marking him out as a comedy act.

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