Leaving aside The Duckworth-Lewis Method, this is the first material by Neil Hannon for six years. A lot has changed politically, let alone musically in that time. It’s a mixed bag of an album, which would bamboozle the average Indie kid. Admittedly, that is an easy process. At the same time, some of us require shits, giggles and sustenance.

Hannon has always had the preternatural skill of writing a catchy pop song about history or literature. Here we have ‘Napoleon Complex’, a Europop song with loads of great couplets: “Who pulls the strings, who makes the deals/stands five foot three in Cuban heels?” Whereas ‘Catherine The Great’ contains the urban myth “She looked so bloody good on a horse”. Perhaps the album’s high point is ‘How Can You Leave Me On My Own?’, a Beatlesque stomper about the stupidity of the male species.

What some might find hard to contemplate is it’s uxoriousness: gorgeous pieces of romantic fluff like ‘Funny Peculiar’, or the closer ‘The One Who Loves You’. As a a man getting married in December, they are already on my wedding playlist.

In totality, it’s an ambitious piece of work that will require repeated plays to settle. It’s arch music, with thought and sensibility. However, I’m not too sure about the mini album, a series of short pieces about a young man dying from cancer. If you enjoyed the latter parts of Scott Walker’s career where he’s punching a pig; this might be your bag.

If yours is a middle-aged bloke poking an iMac, this might not be for you. If you prefer your music to be both slow-burning and witty, travel to Foreverland.

Foreverland is out now via Divine Comedy Records.

Kev McCready
@KevMcCready