The Divine Comedy – ‘To Die A Virgin’ (Parlophone) Released 14/08/06

Back in ’98 Neil Hannon released ‘Generation Sex,’ a state-of-the-nation tragi-comic vignette referencing “Girls who wanna take their clothes off” presidents “getting laid” and “hacks with telephoto lenses chasing Mercedes Benzes.” A fantastic orchestral tune, beginning with a spoken word bit by Katie Puckrik. This begins with a spoken word sample of a terribly posh courting couple from the 40s, has Hannon expressing the age old frustration of a young lad trying to convince his girlfriend to sleep with him and references “the bombs and the bird flu.” The otherwise 40s quality makes it a bit like Kingsley Amis’ ‘Take a Girl like You’ (the TV adaptation, not the book, we’re not that cultured.) The law of diminishing returns applies, however, and though this is pleasant enough it’s definitely a retread.