Absent Friends

The Divine Comedy: Neil Hannon.
Additional personnel includes: Lauren Laverne (vocals); Yann Tiersen (accordion).
Recorded between 2001 & 2003.
Though a number of talented people have contributed to the Divine Comedy over the years, in the end, it's always been singer/songwriter Neil Hannon's baby. On ABSENT FRIENDS, he finally dispenses with all pretense of the Comedy being a "band" by playing the bulk of the instruments himself (aside from the orchestral parts). He's also left most notions about "rock" by the side of the road, as he seemingly pursues his goal of being the Scott Walker of Generation X more arduously than ever.
While much of Hannon's swooning, grandly arranged work bears the same moodiness and intensity as that of Walker, ABSENT FRIENDS features a health dose of humor, as witnessed by the satirical character study "The Happy Goth." Hannon is also capable of unexpected twists, such as the most poignant ballad on the album turning out to be a long-haul trucker's reverie. Whatever the subject, though, archness, wit, and sumptuous melody are all strongly in evidence throughout the album.