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Buy Online The Divine Comedy - Absent Friends (Remastered) *product may differ to image displayed

The Divine Comedy

Absent Friends 2CD (Remastered)

$13.00

Release Date: Oct 9, 2020

Discs: 2

Absent Friends was first released in 2004. Describing the album, Neil said: "The songs use stories and characters as a framework to pin my ideas on. It's mostly about the eternal battle between the pull of personal freedom and the comfort of domesticity”. The album was recorded by Guy Massey, mixed by Nigel Godrich and features guest appearances by 6 Music DJ Lauren Laverne and French multi-instrumentalist Yann Tiersen. “The whole album is rich, beautiful and can make you smile and cry on the turn of a chorus” stated Phill Jupitus in the Radio Times, while the Guardian described it as an “ornate gem” and Word magazine said, “it’s Neil Hannon’s best yet”. Stand out tracks from the album include singles Come Home Billy Bird and Absent Friends, as well as fan favourites Our Mutual Friend and Charmed Life.

The CD release consists of 2 discs: the original remastered album, with a second CD of B-sides, demos and alternate versions lovingly curated by Neil Hannon, much of which has never been heard before. The CD comes with a booklet of photos, credits and extensive liner notes written by Neil covering the context and inspiration behind the album and its songs.

To mark the release, The Divine Comedy play five nights at the Barbican in London in early September and then later the same month, five nights at the Cite de la Musique in Paris. Performing as an eleven-piece ensemble, the band will play two albums from their catalogue in full each night. Absent Friends and Victory For The Comic Muse will be performed on the 5th September in London and the 28th Sept in Paris.

Tracklisting:
Absent Friends
Sticks and Stones
Leaving Today
Come Home Billy Bird
My Imaginary Friend
The Wreck Of The Beautiful
Our Mutual Friend
The Happy Goth
Freedom Road
Laika's Theme
Charmed Life

Bonus Disc 2
Absolute Power
Our Mutual Friend (early idea)
The Bird Evolution
Girl Least Likely
Mr Right
Sticks and Stones (demo)
The Dark Horse
Idaho
All Things (alternate version)
Rose For The Lady
Smiler
Absent Friends (demo)
Anthem For Bored Youth (demo)
Our Mutual Friend (alternate version)
Antidepressant
Windy Pop
Laika's Theme (The Promise)
Charmed Life (alternate version)