Divine Comedy

Casanova - Setanta 1996

Tracks: Tracks: 1. Something for the Weekend / 2. Becoming More Like Alfie / 3. Middle-Class Heroes / 4. In and out in Paris and 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

Comments:

I heard only recently "Casanova" in its whole, after having heard and read that the album is often considered the best from Divine Comedy. I was very excited about the recent Divine Comedy albums such as "Bang Goes the Knighthood," "Victory for the Comic Muse" and also "The Duckworth Lewis Project", so of course I had to get to know "Casanova", too.

At first the album was a disappointment; generally much heavier arrangements, at times almost in musical approach. Moreover the number of really good songs doesn't compare with the later albums. The production also isn't not quite so clear and modern.

Of course, there are really good songs to find. "Something For the Weekend" was deservedly a nice big hit - very catchy melody and spooky lyrics. "Songs of Love" is pure pleasure in its musical simplicity, after a streak of something heavy tracks. Both "Becoming More Like Alfie" and "The Frog Princess," were single hits, and these also belong among the most memorable numbers.

The complex and dramatic "Through a Long and Sleepless Night" may be a little hard to get hold of, but it actually has a very nice chorus. I would, though, never choose "Casanova" to present the Divine Comedy to the uninitiated.

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