Victory for the Comic Muse
Encyclopedia
Victory for the Comic Muse is the ninth studio album by The Divine Comedy
. It was released by EMI
on June 19, 2006. Despite what people might assume, Neil Hannon did not choose the title as a reference to the group's 1990 debut Fanfare for the Comic Muse
. It's actually a quote from the book "A Room with a View
" ("I have won a great victory for the comic muse").
On the 28th February 2007, Victory for the Comic Muse won the Choice Music Prize
at a ceremony that took place in Dublin's Vicar St. venue. The Choice Music Prize is Ireland's equivalent to the Mercury Music Prize. The judging panel was made up of 12 representatives from the Irish music industry. The prize consisted of a trophy as well as a cheque for €10,000. The Divine Comedy's victory was unexpected as the album had received some lukewarm reviews and there was strong competition from the likes of The Immediate
, Duke Special
and Snow Patrol
.
A special edition version of the album, officially available only on the first day of release, came with second DVD and an additional cardboard sleeve.
During the recording, Hannon's vocals had to be recorded even more hurriedly than planned because for most of the two weeks he was suffering from a cold that got progressively worse before finally clearing up.
All songs (apart from "Party Fears Two", which is a cover of the single by The Associates and written by band members Billy Mackenzie
and Alan Rankine
) were composed by Neil Hannon.
The Divine Comedy (band)
The Divine Comedy are a chamber pop band from Ireland, fronted by Neil Hannon. Formed in 1989, Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation bar drums. To date, ten studio albums have been released under the Divine...
. It was released by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
on June 19, 2006. Despite what people might assume, Neil Hannon did not choose the title as a reference to the group's 1990 debut Fanfare for the Comic Muse
Fanfare for the Comic Muse
Fanfare for the Comic Muse is the deleted debut LP by The Divine Comedy, originally released in 1990. It has since been denied by the band's lead singer/songwriter Neil Hannon due to its stylistic difference from the band's later works, heading towards a more R.E.M.-styled jangle pop direction than...
. It's actually a quote from the book "A Room with a View
A Room with a View
A Room with a View is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the repressed culture of Edwardian England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a critique of English society at the beginning of the 20th century...
" ("I have won a great victory for the comic muse").
On the 28th February 2007, Victory for the Comic Muse won the Choice Music Prize
Choice Music Prize
-Establishment:It was established by journalist Jim Carroll and manager Dave Reid in 2005. as an alternative to the industry-dominated Meteor Music Awards. The Choice Music Prize is modelled after the Mercury Prize which is awarded each year to the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland...
at a ceremony that took place in Dublin's Vicar St. venue. The Choice Music Prize is Ireland's equivalent to the Mercury Music Prize. The judging panel was made up of 12 representatives from the Irish music industry. The prize consisted of a trophy as well as a cheque for €10,000. The Divine Comedy's victory was unexpected as the album had received some lukewarm reviews and there was strong competition from the likes of The Immediate
The Immediate
The Immediate were an avant-garde Irish rock quartet, based in Malahide. They made a considerable impact on the Irish music scene despite releasing only one album during the span of their association together. The album was In Towers and Clouds . It received primarily positive critical feedback and...
, Duke Special
Duke Special
Duke Special, real name Peter Wilson, is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he has a distinctive look, with his long dreadlocks, eyeliner and outfits he describes as "hobo chic"...
and Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
.
A special edition version of the album, officially available only on the first day of release, came with second DVD and an additional cardboard sleeve.
Making of the album
The album is unique in the Divine Comedy catalogue - and in the catalogue of most recent popular music - in that Hannon's original aim with the album was to record it entirely in two weeks, with the minimum of overdubbing. As such, almost all of the music on the album - much to the chagrin of the classical players involved on almost every track, and the Divine Comedy band itself - was recorded in live takes. At first, they attempted to use no click tracks or headphones, but eventually they did. The band would record their part, the orchestra would overdub theirs, and then Hannon would record his vocals. No further overdubbing took place unless absolutely necessary, in a fairly hurried style of recording, and in stark contrast to the modern recording technique of stacking up tracks.During the recording, Hannon's vocals had to be recorded even more hurriedly than planned because for most of the two weeks he was suffering from a cold that got progressively worse before finally clearing up.
Track listing
- "To Die a VirginTo Die A Virgin"To Die a Virgin" is a song by The Divine Comedy and is the opening track to their 2006 album, Victory for the Comic Muse. It was released on 14 August 2006 as the second single from that album...
" – 3:39 - "Mother Dear" – 3:47
- "Diva LadyDiva Lady"Diva Lady" is a song by The Divine Comedy and is featured on their 2006 album, Victory for the Comic Muse. It was released 12 June 2006 as the lead single from that album, peaking at #52 in the UK Singles Chart ....
" – 4:17 - "A Lady of a Certain Age" – 5:47
- "The Light of Day" – 4:24
- "Threesome" – 1:10
- "Party Fears Two" – 4:02
- "Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World" – 3:58
- "The Plough" – 5:14
- "Count Grassi's Passage Over Piedmont" – 3:32
- "Snowball in Negative" – 4:40
- "Premonition of Love" – 3:54 (Bonus Track for Japan)
- "Births, Deaths & Marriages" – 4:11 (Bonus Track for Japan)
All songs (apart from "Party Fears Two", which is a cover of the single by The Associates and written by band members Billy Mackenzie
Billy Mackenzie
William MacArthur "Billy" Mackenzie was a Scottish singer, with a distinctive falsetto voice best known as a member of The Associates.- Biography :...
and Alan Rankine
Alan Rankine
Alan Rankine played keyboards, and guitars, for the rock band, Associates, which he co-founded with Billy Mackenzie in the late 1970s....
) were composed by Neil Hannon.
Cultural references
- Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World is a reference to the 70s television show of the same nameArthur C. Clarke's Mysterious WorldArthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World is a thirteen part British television series looking at unexplained phenomena from around the world. It was produced by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network and first broadcast in September 1980....
- The sample at the beginning of To Die A Virgin is of Jennifer EhleJennifer EhleJennifer Ehle is an American actress of stage and screen. She is known for her BAFTA winning role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 mini-series Pride and Prejudice.-Early life:...
and Toby StephensToby StephensToby Stephens is an English stage, television and film actor who has appeared in films in both Hollywood and Bollywood. He is best known for playing megavillain Gustav Graves in the James Bond film Die Another Day , Edward Fairfax Rochester in the BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre and Philip...
in the 1992 TV series The Camomile LawnThe Camomile LawnThe Camomile Lawn is a novel by Mary Wesley about the lives of Richard and Helena Cuthbertson and their five nieces and nephews; Calypso, Walter, Polly, Oliver and Sophy. The title refers to a fragrant camomile lawn stretching down to the Cornish cliffs in the garden of the main characters' aunt's...
.