THE COLOUR OF SPRING

This would be the last 'pop' influenced TALK TALK album- except for some further fine- tuning on the voice, Hollis had begun to follow his musical calling.This is where the real magic started, but it's not always easy to find. The 'modern' pop sound of the 80s dominates this album, albeit at a level of creativity that most synth-pop or new romantic bands never approached. The raw, articulate desperation and spirituality is becoming more apparent, on "Happiness is Easy", "I Don't Believe in You", and "Living in Another World". "Life's What You Make It" is a classic pop song, sounding much less dated than one would expect. The true herald of the band's imminent breakthrough is the shifting, otherworldly beauty of "April 5th"- a hushed precursor to the unique opus to come in the following two albums. It's not a prog-rock album, really, but at a time when the giants of prog were indulging in pop songs for commercial success, TALK TALK was passing them in the opposite direction- fueling their increasingly progressive musical works with the money and momentum that their pop past provided. I like the album, but it's neither the band's best nor a fully progressive work, so only two stars in this forum.