Absent Friends
Album by The Divine Comedy
Released	March 29, 2004
Recorded	2001-2003 at RAK, Abbey Road and Konk Studios
Genre	Rock
Length	45:56
Label	EMI
Producer(s)	Neil Hannon
Professional reviews
All Music Guide [1] Pitchfork (7.8/10.0) [2] PopMatters (Positive) [3]
The Divine Comedy chronology
Regeneration (2001)	Absent Friends (2004)	Victory for the Comic Muse (2006)

Absent Friends is the eighth studio album by The Divine Comedy. It was released by EMI on March 29, 2004. Two singles were released from the album: "Come Home Billy Bird", which features XFM DJ Lauren Laverne on vocals, and the album's title track. Image File history File links No_cover. ... An album is a collection of related audio tracks, released together commercially in an audio format to the public. ... Neil Hannon in a promotional photo for The Divine Comedys 2004 album, Absent Friends. ... March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in Leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The legendary recording studio Abbey Road Studios, created in November of 1931 by EMI in London, is best known as the legendary recording studio used by the rock bands The Beatles, Cliff Richard, Pink Floyd and The Shadows. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, a bass guitar, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, trumpet, and trombone are common in some styles, however, horns have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The EMI Group is a major record label, based in Kensington in London, in the United Kingdom. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Neil Hannon (born November 7, 1970[1]) is a singer and songwriter, best known as the creator and lead member of the orchestral pop group The Divine Comedy. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links Description: Rating stars. ... Pitchfork logo Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork, is a U.S.-based daily Internet publication devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. ... PopMatters is an international magazine of cultural criticism. ... Neil Hannon in a promotional photo for The Divine Comedys 2004 album, Absent Friends. ... Neil Hannon in a promotional photo for The Divine Comedys 2004 album, Absent Friends. ... The EMI Group is a major record label, based in Kensington in London, in the United Kingdom. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Xfm is a brand of commercial radio stations focused on current and unsigned alternative music and owned by GCap Media in the United Kingdom. ... DJ or dj may stand for Disc jockey, dinner jacket The DeadJournal website, or Djibouti. ... Lauren Laverne (real name Lauren Gofton) (born 1978, Sunderland, England) is a disc jockey, television presenter, and former singer. ...

Neil Hannon was the only member of The Divine Comedy by this point, as the band had split up shortly after the release of 2001's Regeneration. Hannon had decided to continue using the Divine Comedy name for this album. He was aided by long-time collaborator Joby Talbot, who arranged and conducted the orchestra. Neil Hannon (born November 7, 1970[1]) is a singer and songwriter, best known as the creator and lead member of the orchestral pop group The Divine Comedy. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Born in 1971 in Wimbledon, London, Joby Talbot initially studied composition at Royal Holloway and Bedford New College. ...

The album was recorded at RAK, Abbey Road and Konk Studios by Guy Massey, with help from Raj Das and Chris Bolster. It was mixed at Mayfair Studios by Nigel Godrich, who was assisted by Dan Grech-Marguerat. Nigel Godrich (born in the UK in 1972) is a recording engineer and record producer. ...

Track listing

1. "Absent Friends" – 3:40
2. "Sticks & Stones" – 4:48
3. "Leaving Today" – 4:18
4. "Come Home Billy Bird" – 4:07
5. "My Imaginary Friend" – 2:43
6. "The Wreck of the Beautiful" – 4:58
7. "Our Mutual Friend" – 5:58
8. "The Happy Goth" – 3:36
9. "Freedom Road" – 3:55
10. "Laika's Theme" – 3:07
11. "Charmed Life" – 4:41

Guest performers

• Lauren Laverne – vocals on Come Home Billy Bird
• Yann Tiersen – accordion on Sticks & Stones

Lauren Laverne (real name Lauren Gofton) (born 1978, Sunderland, England) is a disc jockey, television presenter, and former singer. ... Yann Tiersen at a concert the 25th November 2005 (Fri-son festival, Fribourg, Switzerland). ...

Additional players

• Miggy Barradas – drums on tracks 2, 4, 8 & 11
• Rob Farrer – percussion on tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 & 8
• Simon Little – double bass on track 8
• Crispin Robinson – congas on tracks 4 & 8
• Joby Talbot – plucked piano on track 9