February 22, 2001

Divine Comedy : Love What You Do

The kind of insidious, utterly pleasant single you imagine is played in retirement homes.

The man previously affected by what diminutive TV nutjob Gary Coleman would once have termed 'a severe case of show-offitis' returns, married and hirsute, but far less sanguine. Because for Neil Hannon, it's no more Mr Nice Guy. Get behind thee, foppish demeanour! Be gone, happy-clappy bus songs! Feel that oily major label muscle flex as the nice folk at Parlophone hook you up with Nigel Godrich, who helps you produce arguably the finest album of your career. So it sounds a little like Radiohead circa 1996 - who's complaining? So Terry Wogan's a fan - hey, the dude's got taste. That said, 'Love What You Do' is the kind of insidious, utterly pleasant single you imagine is played in retirement homes as the blanket-wrapped residents carefully dunk biscuits into their milky afternoon tea, oblivious to the hope and pathos in Hannon's voice. Business as usual then.

Piers Martin

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