Pitchfork

Victory for the Comic Muse, indeed! Or Parlophone, anyway, for giving the Divine Comedy's album by that name a proper Stateside release. Hear chief Comedian Neil Hannon chat up his new record in this exclusive video interview, courtesy of the good folks at his label. As an added bonus, click the track titles listed below to watch Neil discuss the inspiration behind each song on his latest opus.

In the interviews, Hannon reveals the story behind the album's eclectic feel, how he finds inspiration in movies and Johnny Cash, his wife's insistance that the raunchy original lyrics to "To Die a Virgin" be changed, and his desire for Dolly Parton to sing "Mother Dear".

Victory, originally released last June (also on Parlophone), will make its U.S. landing this coming Tuesday, November 14-- at which point Hannon and band will have just wrapped up a tour of Ireland/Northern Ireland, with no immediate plans for a visit to North America.

But we can't be too irked by Neil's snub of our continent, as he recently joined in on the Cake Sale, "a band featuring a loose and expansive collective of musician and writers" (according to the Divine Comedy's website) who, on November 3, released a self-titled LP on Oxfam Records in Ireland. All profits from sales of the disc support the Oxfam organization's Make Trade Fair campaign (you know, the one Chris Martin loves).

Others musicians who contributed to The Cake Sale include the Cardigans' Nina Persson, Damien Rice, Josh Ritter, Gemma Hayes, the Thrills' Padraic McMahon, and many more.

Meanwhile, the Divine Comedy's third single from Victory, "A Lady of a Certain Age", was released on November 6 in both limited edition seven-inch (available exclusively through the band's online shop) and digital download formats. One of Neil's finest songs to date, "A Lady" received a 4.5-star rating on this very website earlier this year.

Live Comedy:

11-11 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Mandela Hall
11-12 Derry, Northern Ireland - Millennium Forum

Victory for the Comic Muse:

01 To Die a Virgin
02 Mother Dear
03 Diva Lady
04 A Lady of a Certain Age
05 The Light of Day
06 Threesome
07 Party Fears Two
08 Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World
09 The Plough
10 Count Grassi's Passage Over Piedmont
11 Snowball in Negative