Oct, 2020
Released 9th October, 2020.
"Buckle up everybody, Fin de Siècle is a wild ride. Every time I listen to it (about once every decade) I come away feeling as if I’ve been on a particularly extravagant rollercoaster; dizzy, elated, and a trifle nauseous. If Casanova was the musical personification of naked attention seeking, then Fin de Siècle is the musical personification of supreme self-confidence. We threw everything at it: orchestras, metal riffs, choirs, electronic programming, anvils, Waterloo Station! Why? Um... because we could. “Because it’s there,” as thrill-seeking mountaineers like to say (and we all know what happens to them...). It should have had a picture of a kitchen sink on the cover somewhere, just so we could say it had one of those as well."
'Fin de Siècle' was first released in 1998. Chock full of millennial angst, it was the band's most ambitious album to date.
Time Out described it as "A huge, extraordinary record – a concept album even, picking at the scabs of twentieth century existence.." Metro said "’Fin de Siècle’ ...is dangerously close to being a masterpiece.. funny, sad, melodically compelling and obsessed with the themes of numbness, death and public transport.”
The album charted at number 9, but it was the third single from the album, ‘National Express’, that provided The Divine Comedy with their first top ten single. Other stand out tracks from the album include ‘Generation Sex’, ‘The Certainty Of Chance’ and ‘Sunrise’.
For the 30th Anniversary reissue, 'Fin de Siècle' has been remastered by Frank Arkwright at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, and the iconic images have been restored by photographer Kevin Westenberg.
The CD release consists of 2 discs: the original remastered album, with a second CD of B-sides, demos and alternate versions put together by Neil, this also includes ‘I've Been To A Marvellous Party’ and ‘Gin Soaked Boy’. This 2CD Set comes with a booklet of photos with extensive liner notes written by Neil covering the context and content of each album.
The LP release is the original remastered album, packaged with a download code for 'Fin de Siècle' and its bonus tracks. Pressed at Optimal on heavyweight black vinyl, this edition is housed in a gatefold sleeve accompanied with photos, credits and Neil's liner notes. If you buy the LP from our webstore it comes with a pin badge, and don't forget to check out the array of awesome anniversary merch including mugs, t-shirts and tote bags!
We'd love you to share your 'Fin de Siècle' memories and any band memorabilia from this period. Remember to use #TheDivineComedy30 when you post.
All formats (including digital) out now.
