I've never really any opinion on production. I can tell very bad production, and kind of overproduction to an extent, but other than that, I don't notice it and it doesn't bother me or factor into my enjoyment of the album. I just put that question in cos I know most of you like to rant on about production being "sterile" or "organic" or whatever. Don't matter to me.
You probably don't even have to listen to it, right?

The cover certainly tells me a lot of things but I'll listen to it, I guess.

Gee, thanks.

I always notice things about the production - like how clear/muddy it is, or how much low end/high end there is to the instruments, how layered and how vibrant sounding the instruments are, etc. I don't like talking about it from too technical an angle though. Discussing Dynamic Range mesurements is a bit too far into audiophile territory, even for me.

I'm gonna have to get in on this too.

The Album Club: "Casanova" by the Divine Comedy
 

If this is allowed, if there are no objections, all future posts pertaining to the album above should be put here. Thanks.

Songs of Love is an acceptable song.

The rest of it is basically like Frank Sinatra. If Frank Sinatra was a talentless hack. And retarded.

One star.

The Divine Comedy - Casanova

An interesting album in some respects, fusing pomp and Britpop and musical theater into a concept record that covers a variety of moods and ideas. To these ears, Freddie Mercury, Peter Hammill, Frank Sinatra and Gino Vannelli are the obvious reference points in regards to Neil Hannon's approach to performance, though I can say with confidence that he's not anywhere near those guys in sheer vocal power (Mercury, Vannelli) nor in lyrical imagination (Hammill, Sinatra). He also sticks a little too close to the Tim Burton / Danny Elfman school of theater rock which is a mark against him for me.

Going through the songs here was a bit like skipping stones: every once in awhile I'd get a good throw in and find something I liked (' In & Out of Paris And London', 'The Frog Princess') where an early Scott Walker-esque pop sensibility comes to the fore and works well. When he isn't hitting on all cylinders though...the whole album falls apart, especially when he gets twee and goes full Broadway ('A Woman of the World', 'The Dog & The Horses', etc.).

So, I can accept someone like Freddie Mercury in full pomp mode because he really sells a croon. Dude was untouchable in sheer theatricality. Or, to use a living example, I can also accept Gino Vannelli even at his most pompous cause the guy has a six-octave vocal range and a band on par with the Mahavishnu Orchestra backing him. The people that play with Gino when he's in Vegas or up in Montreal are demigods in the jazz-fusion world. Sir Hannon, unfortunately, is a few notches below the masters. I'd have to go sit down with his other Divine Comedy outings to see if he got better or worse than this as time went on.

6.5 out of 10

That really describes his style well for me.

Freddie was really good at being ridiculously over the top but somehow still not too much.

Ok now I'm curious to see what the final few comments on the album will say.
We've got a top score, a bottom score and one in the middle so far.

Starts off with some solid drumming that makes me think I might not hate the album. Song progresses and outs itself as pretty straightforward pop stuff. Second song sounds like Mike Patton being ironically schmaltzy as he fronts cake. The song also perpetuates rape culture. Third song is straight gouda. Fourth song has me wondering how people can sit down and pop this album in. It'd make sense to listen to if it came on the radio, but to listen to it on your own volition? That mindset towards music reflects a dark corner of humanity.

He weirdly reminds me of Carl-Michael Eide, but if he had decided to do some bland crap. Charge starts with 15 seconds of silence so SKIP! That's not music. Songs of Love tells me that this guy is boring as **** in bed. I skipped Frog Princess because starting a song with "I met a girl" gets you nowhere with me. I can't wait for this **** to end. Through a Long Sleepless Night is a little more heavy than the rest of this featherfooted record. God his falsetto is awful. **** this album I'm done.

This is very tepid and safe music. I can see why TH would be into that, but it's not for me. 1/10

Should I add a poll?