Regeneration

by Terry MilesChoosing a new direction is a hard and serious business for any band, but perhaps more so for listeners, who, for better or worse, have grown to expect a certain mood and style from their favorite artists. Regeneration, the Divine Comedy's first album for Parlophone Records, finds Neil Hannon and company parting ways with the playful, coquettish songs of Casanova and Fin de Siècle and taking a serious look at the duality of "town" and "country." Many bands have tackled the subject of the "haves and have-nots," and that may be a bit of a problem here, as both Pulp and the Divine Comedy themselves have done a much better job of illustrating the point than songs like "Lost Property" or "Bad Ambassador." By shedding the smirking artifice that served Casanova so well and hiring producer Nigel Godrich, the Divine Comedy may be treading dangerously close to the sounds of countrymen Radiohead, but the Divine Comedy is smart enough to give listeners just enough lyrical bit to throw them off the scent. Perhaps the true art of the Divine Comedy was the artifice that is missing on Regeneration, but it is more likely that Hannon has found different things to say and wanted to find a different language in which to say them. Although not as musically striking or original as Casanova, there is still a great commentary on celebrity in "Timestretched," and Hannon's unmistakable croon saves the record's obvious single, "Love What You Do," by adding just enough sincerity to make its listeners believers.