Sounds good to me - they used to be one of my "big three" bands, so I'm really pleased to read your early summary. Sounds far closer to what I'd enjoy, rather than the direction Office Politics took!

I plead guilty to the Suede and Divine Comedy threads but not guilty to the Baxter Dury one .

 

I have just listened to the album in full, it certainly sounds like a grower and a pretty dark one overall. 

1st listen, well it's a departure from the "classic" DC sound and style bar the 1st and 3rd single. Did not expect that to be honest ! It really does sound like Scott Walker. I guess as you get older you need as a musician to get some influences out of your system. This is it.

I have a feeling we will get another DC album shortly, a bit like between Foreverland and Office politics, but a shorter gap. Feels like a "small" release before a big one. 

-- Edited by andy on Friday 19th of September 2025 11:51:42 AM

-- Edited by andy on Friday 19th of September 2025 11:54:16 AM

I really like it on the first pass. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, and The Man Who Turned Into A Chair is are present favourites.

(And Mar-a-Lago By The Sea reminds me of Koopa Beach from Mario Kart, which, oddly, is a plus)

"Office Politics" was a bit of an oddity for me. There are 3 songs on there that I regard as novelty (Queuejumper, Philip and Steve and the Synthesiser Service Centre...) but in general, I think it's a bit too long. "A Feather in Your Cap" is fantastic and "The Life and Soul of the Party" would have been a huge hit in the 1990s.

I haven't listened to "Rainy Sunday Afternoon" enough to make a fair judgement. I'd say that "The Last Time I Saw the Old Man" is shaping up to be my favourite at the moment.

I have seen them live a couple of times before. Full album shows aside, I'd say that their setlist is usually quite varied. Apart from their debut, they don't seem to ignore any of their previous albums.

Ste wrote:

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Ahh, I never set out to be mean-spirited about Office Politics, just wasn't for me. I mean, Party Hard, Pencil Skirt, and Joyriders aren't for me, and I appreciate that's sacrilege to some! As for Regeneration, I think Mastermind and Bad Ambassador are some of my favourite DC tracks, but I think that's more down to Hannon really belting it out at the end, he has an amazing voice.

I only just realised the musical similarities Invisible Thread has to Charmed Life, which I liked. I suppose it's thematically a sequel, which seems really nice, given the timespan between the two tracks.

-- Edited by Ste on Friday 19th of September 2025 09:40:17 PM

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Hehe dont worry, you can not like Office Politics ! It's a weird one... 

Regeneration was also difficult because it's not in the "Hannon Cannon". Most fans expect a melodic and orchestrated album every time, and are hardcore about that. He said Office Politics tanked because of that. I felt that too during that tour, people were not having it at all. 

And Regeneration did too for the same reason. It was too indie, too "in the trend".  I guess some of his die hard fans see Hannon as a Dandy drinking brandy all day, seating by the fire with a philosophy book in hand. When in fact he said multiple time he likes to watch football, watch the big bang theory (that's in one OP song hehe) and eat pizza  I guess when the record does not fit the image, it's rejected. Especially in France. I felt that a bit less during gigs in England. 

Anyway ! As for Charmed Life and Invisible Thread, it's linked indeed. It's about his daughter, and she sings on Invisible Thread. Pretty sweet  He has a talent for nailing the right words with the right melody. 

-- Edited by andy on Saturday 20th of September 2025 07:41:49 AM