By the time of the seventh Divine Comedy album, Neil Hannon had, one assumed, laid out his stall fairly conclusively: an arch eyebrow mix of Noel Coward witticisms and Bacharachian orchestral pop that had served him well through the 90s. However, 2001’s Regeneration dispensed of knowing winks and irony and instead found Hannon, aided by Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, utilising his considerable skills as a lyricist and arranger for a record that dropped the pretence and instead bared a rather troubled sounding soul. “Perfect Lovesong” and “Bad Ambassador” are two of his finest-ever love songs, but elsewhere Regeneration is a record scarred by trauma and a mind and life in turmoil. “Note To Self” finds him yelling “what the fuck is happening?” over an OK Computer-like squall of guitars and dissonance, while “Lost Property” is an utterly bereft itinerary of the detritus of a breakup. Hannon admitted to finding the entire process of making the album torturous and soon reverted back to more chipper tropes, but Regeneration stands up as his most honest and satisfying album.