LAUGHING STOCK

Talk Talk

Crossover Prog

3.99 | 352 ratings

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Easy Livin
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

Nothing to laugh about

If the change of style introduced on "Spirit of Eden" had come as something of a surprise, nothing prepared us for Talk talk's final album "Laughing stock". While "Spirit of Eden" still contained some of the elements which had led to the band's commercial success, albeit in a heavily diluted form, here Talk Talk take minimalism to a whole new level. The lengthy list of guest musicians on the sleeve disguises what is essentially one of the sparsest and least accessible albums ever made by a former pop band.

The album contains just 6 tracks, each running to between 5 and 10 minutes, and not a synthesiser in sight. Instead we have piano and organ as the principal instruments, together with brass and strings incursions, plus of course the unique tones of vocalist Mark Hollis.

"Myrrhman", which kicks off the album is barely perceptible at first, and remains emphatically understated throughout. If you can get past the challenge It offers, you're probably going to enjoy the album. The following "Ascension day" and "After the flood" are slightly livelier, but remain a million miles from the synth pop of the early albums.

"Taphead" reverts to the absolute basics until it is enhanced by a variety of organ backed horns, the mood remaining decidedly ambient and deep in thought. The closing "Runeii" finds Hollis's vocals becoming all but indecipherable, the striking guitar work being far more dominant, once again backed by some atmospheric organ.

It is probably fair to say that this is the only Talk Talk album (with the possible exception of "Spirit of Eden") which will appeal to many visitors to this site. The complete absence of anything remotely pop, and the challenging nature of the music throughout should appeal to affectionados of the more avant-garde sub-genres included here.

Easy Livin | 3/5 | 2008-4-27

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