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| From | "Stewart Mason" <craigtorso@verizon.net> |
| Subject | Re: Divine Comedy ? |
| Date | Wed, 5 Jan 2005 17:28:57 -0500 |
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Durben, Steven" <Steven.Durben@cignabehavioral.com>
> 02. The Divine Comedy-Absent Friends
>
> @@@@ OK, I've wondered about this group for a while. Where to start?
> Anyone? Keeping in mind that I've heard them mentioned in
> relationship to
> being influenced by Scott Walker (hence my interest in them).
The Divine Comedy sound superfically like Scott Walker, but Neil
Hannon's lyrics are often so laughably pretentious that it's always
been really hard for me to take them completely seriously. The most
Walker-like of their albums is probably PROMENADE, from 1994, which
has the same sort of chamber-pop-cabaret feel as Walker's early '70s
albums. The one before that, LIBERATION, is also pretty good.
>
> 08. The Polyphonic Spree-Together We're Heavy
>
> @@@@ Entertainment Weekly was rather harsh on this album and the
> group in
> particular, in their recent year end issue. It kind of surprised me
> that
> they even noticed them enough to criticize it, over some other
> "bigger fish"
> discs they could have picked (but that's fine). Maybe it's per, I
> believe,
> they really loved the initial release.
> Either way, I still hope to catch this group live someday....
I read that bit in EW, and once again, it's an example of a writer who
isn't letting the facts get in the way of his prejudices. Once again,
a writer claims that the Polyphonic Spree are completely phony and
smug and ironic, proving that he hasn't a frickin' clue. Anyone who
has seen the Spree in concert --which I do every time I have the
opportunity -- can attest that there's nothing ironic or phony about
this band. But for some reason, the combination of the band's look,
their unapologetic love of '70s AM pop sounds, and the completely
ingenuous optimism of the lyrics makes a lot of people who SHOULD know
better think that they're somehow being conned. Seriously, that's the
only explanation I can think of, that these reviewers are standing
there thinking, "Wait, these people are happy! They're enjoying
themselves on stage! They're trying to put on a show for the
audience! WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE ASSHOLES TRYING TO PULL, ANYWAY???"
Their loss.
S
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