It's my favorite band from the 1990s and I'm surprised they were not included in the 1990s polls.
In fact it's a one-man band : Neil Hannon, a singer songwriter multi instrumentalist from Northern Ireland.
He plays guitar piano and bass on the 3 first albums.
Their style is a very orchestrated pop with beautiful melodies and it would fit with general AM tastes because their influence are the Smiths, the Beatles and Scott Walker.
They are also big on stage. Hanon is a very good musician and showman, very British, alwas wearing suits.


I know this group is big in France for some reason, and not so much in Britain. I think we love them in France because they are "so british", I mean the representation we have of Brits : style, irony, musicianship, and because he's a French music lover (they often plays Brel songs on stage)
I don't know if they are acclaimed in America.
The y are probably not because their first album in AM list is 2394th.
Do you guys know about this group ?
If not I highly recommend it to you, especially the 3 first albums (Liberation, Promenade and Casanova)
I have a special love for Promenade, made with a chamber quintet
Do you know them and what do you think o f them ?

I really like Neil Hannon. I saw him on stage in Paris in 1997 for his "A short album about love" tour. It was so great, he's such a great performer. I agree with you Nicolas about the 3 great albums by Divine Comedy (the first three) but I'd probably add "a short..." which is one of best album to hear when you're in the mood for love .
What Neil Hannon made in the 2000s is not as good in my opinion. He has lost something, he is become a caricature of himself. Curiously that's in the 2000s that he began to have some success outside France.
But whatever he does now he's still an artist that I respect a lot because it's Divine Comedy which made me find out artists like Scott Walker or Burt Bacharach. And I'm very grateful to Neil Hannon for that.

1997...
wasn't it at the Bataclan ?
It if it was, it was his best concert, after the 1994 concert in the Théâtre de la Ville where he sang his second album from the beginning to the end with a chamber orchestra.
i remember the Bataclan : a great concert. He sang two Jacques Brel songs (in English)

I don't remember if it was at the Bataclan or the Cigale maybe. All I know is that were a fantastic show, one of the best performance I ever seen.

When there are multiple alternative questionaires in school I use to whistle/sing the part of the song "Songs Of Love"..."fate doesn't hang on a wrong or right choice, fortune depends on the tone of your voice"!! Brilliant!

Dumbangel,
I agree with you when you say that Divine Comedy is on the decline, and became caricatural with over-orchestrated songs
From what i've heard of his latest album, I think Rufus Wainwright is following the same path

Nicolas, I completely agree with your comparison with Rufus Wainwright.
The 3 first albums were awesome but now he become caricatural and his last album seems less inspired IMO.