Neil Hannon returns in his Divine Comedy form with another clutch of wry, tongue-in-cheek tunes all about, well, being middle-aged. Looking back from this vantage point, Hannon puts his characters in some compelling, often comic circumstances – To Die A V

Neil Hannon returns in his Divine Comedy form with another clutch of wry, tongue-in-cheek tunes all about, well, being middle-aged.

Looking back from this vantage point, Hannon puts his characters in some compelling, often comic circumstances - To Die A Virgin being a case in point.

All of which is accompanied with some lush instrumentation (13-piece string section, harp, French horn and oboe) and Hannon's uncanny knack for memorable, poppy melodies - aside from the camp but loveable circus pomp of Party Fears Two.

Nine albums in, the inspiration is as strong as ever, with whimsy, melancholy and lip-biting comedic embarrassment to the fore.

Try it, you might like it. 3/5