''Absent Friends'' is the eighth studio album by Northern Irish

chamber pop Chamber pop (or Chamber rock; also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of string section, strings, horn section, horns, piano, and voca ...

band

the Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...

, released in 2004 by

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

in the UK and

Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing. Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record ...

in the U.S. Two singles were released from the album in the UK: "Come Home Billy Bird", which features former

Kenickie Kenickie were an English four-piece pop punk band from Sunderland. The band was formed in 1994 and consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Lauren Laverne (b. Lauren Gofton), drummer Johnny X (real name Pete Gofton, Lauren's brother) ...

vocalist

Lauren Laverne Lauren Cecilia Fisher (née Gofton; born 28 April 1978), known professionally as Lauren Laverne, is an English radio DJ, model, television presenter, author and singer. She was the lead singer and additional guitarist in the alternative rock ba ...

on vocals, and the album's title track.

Neil Hannon Edward Neil Anthony Hannon (born 7 November 1970) is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter. He is the creator and front man of the chamber pop group The Divine Comedy, and is the band's sole constant member. Hannon wrote the theme tunes for ...

was the only member of the Divine Comedy by this point, as the band had split up shortly after the release of 2001's ''

Regeneration Regeneration may refer to: Science and technology * Regeneration (biology), the ability to recreate lost or damaged cells, tissues, organs and limbs * Regeneration (ecology), the ability of ecosystems to regenerate biomass, using photosynthesis ...

''. Hannon had decided to continue using the Divine Comedy name for this album and was aided by long-time collaborator

Joby Talbot Joby Talbot (born 25 August 1971) is a British composer. He has written for a wide variety of purposes and an accordingly broad range of styles, including instrumental and vocal concert music, film and television scores, pop arrangements and wo ...

, who arranged and conducted the orchestra. The album was recorded at RAK Studios and

Konk Studios Konk is the name of a recording studio and record label,

in London by Guy Massey, with help from Raj Das and Chris Bolster. It was mixed at

Mayfair Studios Mayfair Recording Studios, earlier called Spot Studios or Ryemuse Studios, was a recording studio in London, England, located in Mayfair from the 1960s to 1981, then in Primrose Hill from 1981 until it closed in 2008. In the early years the studio ...

Nigel Godrich Nigel Timothy Godrich (born 28 February 1971) is an English record producer, recording engineer and musician. He is known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead, having produced all their studio albums since '' OK Computer'' (1997). H ...

, who was assisted by

Dan Grech-Marguerat Daniel James Grech-Marguerat, also known as Dan Grech, (born 11 July 1981 in Bedford), is an English / Maltese recording engineer, record producer and mixer. His production style pulls together a blend of alternative and pop genres. He is recogn ...

Reception

Reviewing the album for

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

, Joe Tangari said:

Even if you're resistant to Hannon's grandiosity, it's hard to deny the lush sweep of the album's opening title track, a song that confirms his place as the closest thing to an inheritor of Scott Walker's mantle as we're likely to get. The orchestration is expert and economical, and
Nigel Godrich Nigel Timothy Godrich (born 28 February 1971) is an English record producer, recording engineer and musician. He is known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead, having produced all their studio albums since '' OK Computer'' (1997). H ...
, bumped from the producer's chair to the mixing board this time around, perfectly stacks the song's elements to make them sound absolutely huge. Hannon's tenor is commanding, and he spins an incredible melody as he runs through a series of tributes to 20th century icons whose lives ended prematurely, from French actress
Jean Seberg Jean Dorothy Seberg (; ; November 13, 1938August 30, 1979) was an American actress who lived half of her life in France. Her performance in Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 film ''Breathless'' immortalized her as an icon of French New Wave cinema. Seb ...
to
Laika Laika (russian: link=no, Лайка; – 3 November 1957) was a Soviet space dog who was one of the first animals in space and the first to orbit the Earth. A stray mongrel from the streets of Moscow, she flew aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecra ...
, the first dog in space.

Track listing

All songs written by Neil Hannon.

Personnel

Millennia Ensemble Musicians

''Orchestra arranged and conducted by Joby Talbot.'' * Everton Nelson, Charles Mutter, Warren Zielinski, Cath Haggo, Natalia Bonner, Giles Broadbent, Rick Koster, Matthew Scrivener, Alison Dods, Darragh Morgan, Richard George, Lucy Wilkins, Steve Hussey, Timothy Myall, Helena Wood, John Smart, Maya Bickel, Jenny Sacha - Violin * Vince Greene, Adrian Smith, Louise Hogan, Reiad Chibah, Dan Cornford - Viola * Chris Worsey, Ian Burdge, Nick Holland, Christopher Fish - Cello * Lucy Shaw, Bev Jones - Double Bass * Daniel Newell, Tom Rees-Roberts - Trumpet * James 'Spaddy' Adams, Mike Kearsey - Trombone * Matt Gunner, Simon Morgan - French Horn * Nick Cartledge - Flute * Chris Richards - Clarinet * Dominic Kelly - Oboe * Jo Cackett, Gareth Newman - Bassoon * Jay Craig - Saxophone * Lucy Wakeford - Harp

Additional Musicians

* Miggy Barradas – drums on tracks 2, 4, 8 & 11 * Rob Farrer – percussion on tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 & 8 * Simon Little – double bass on track 8 * Crispin Robinson – congas on tracks 4 & 8 *

– plucked piano on track 9 * Matt Gunner – horn solo on track 9 * Everton Nelson – violin solo on track 10 * Nick Cartledge – flute solo on track 8

Technical Personnel

* Neil Hannon – performer, producer, arranger * Guy Massey – recording *

– mixing * Dan Marguerat – additional mixing

Guest performers

– vocals on "Come Home Billy Bird" *

Yann Tiersen Yann Tiersen (born 23 June 1970) is a French Breton musician and composer. His musical career is split between studio recordings, music collaborations and film soundtracks songwriting. His music incorporates a large variety of classical and c ...

– accordion on "Sticks & Stones"

References

{{Authority control 2004 albums The Divine Comedy (band) albums Parlophone albums