TALK TALK - SPIRIT OF EDEN & Others
Friday, June 18, 2021
Mark Hollis, 1998. By Frank Bauer
My favorite music these days is the ones that I missed when they were initially released. Talk Talk is such a band that I ignored for decades, even though I did see them at the Reseda Country Club in the early 1980s when their first big hit, "Talk Talk" (not to be confused with the band's name), hit the KROQ airwaves. They had no lasting impression on me whatsoever. Still, as the years go on, people have told me that this band is excellent. "Spirit of Eden" is a unique album and a perfect one at that.
It's natural to compare something you haven't heard with other artists. Listening to Spirit of Eden, the album reminds me a bit of early David Sylvian, with a touch of classic "John Barleycorn Must Die" Traffic, and then a presence of Miles Davis "Silent Way." Of course, that is just the entrance to the world of Talk Talk. It ends with all acoustic or un-machine-like instrumentation for a band that started with a very 80s production style, such as Double Bass (the great Danny Thompson), Guitarrón, Oboe, violin (Nigel Kennedy), and various horns. Mark Hollis is the figurehead and is very much in a minimalist style, which makes maximum music. One never knows what's around the corner because something unusual and adventuresome comes out of nowhere. In that sense, there is the late Scott Walker approach to arrangements.
The sound is dense, then clear, and almost silent. However, many minutes this album is, it doesn't allow the listener to remove themselves from the speakers. "Inheritance" has a classical oboe and strings interlude that comes in like a wave hitting the beach. There are sonic surprises that are borderline ambient, but the mixing is brilliant. Not an album to categorize but to accept its worth by the superb sounds and touches of melody that are haunting. The silence is just as important as the instrumentation. It should be its instrumental credit: silence — a beautiful piece of delicate work.
His last recording was released in 1998. It was a solo album, but very much like the previous Talk Talk album Laughing Stock in 1991. The sound of the solo album and the last Talk Talk recordings all sound alike musicians in one room, more likely focusing on Hollis's words. As a listener, I feel the less is said is Hollis and the company's aesthetic. Each instrument is clearly heard, and there is a sense that all are equally important in the overall sound of the albums. I imagine that this is a party where every participant can be heard or given notice. No one is left out in the mix or room.
Mark Hollis died, aged 64, in February 2019. He made music, then retired from the music world, and then death. These are the only facts I know of regarding Hollis. There is music that is very outward and opens. Then some musicians make or compose works that are complexed in their ability to express unarticulate emotions and are almost shadow-like in their performance. It is always interesting when an artist starts off with a big hit and, slowly and in their own time, dwells into the basement of their soul to make music one feels for themselves. If there is an audience out there for this music, perfectly fine. If not, tough luck.