Talk Talk

Very few bands experienced as dramatic a stylistic reinvention as Talk Talk. Originally latecomers to Britain's New Romantic movement, the London-based quartet fronted by the nasal-voiced singer-songwriter Mark Hollis released their synth-pop-oriented debut, The Party's Over, in 1982. While they scored a minor hit with a single also called "Talk Talk," critics largely dismissed the album, not unfairly labeling it a Duran Duran knock-off. (The two bands toured together and shared a producer, which didn't help matters.) Perhaps partly in response, Talk Talk quickly became increasingly more original and sonically adventurous, due in large part to the addition of producer/co-writer/multi-instrumentalist Tim Friese-Greene. 1984's It's My Life was their artistic breakthrough, expanding their synth-based palette with a newfound emphasis on groove and a layered, rainbow-hued production sweep; the band's still-palpable pop presence made hit singles of the title track and "Such A Shame," but a more radical change was already brewing. 1986's The Colour of Spring bridged their commercial ambitions with their more experimental side, resulting in an album of well-manicured pop density punctuated by forays into jazzy, ambient soundscapes. But neither critics nor fans were prepared for their polarizing 1988 masterpiece Spirit of Eden, which completely eschewed catchiness and traditional songwriting in favor of full-blown jazz-inflected ambience and quasi-religious lyrical imagery. 1991's Laughing Stock continued down this otherworldly rabbit hole. Though both albums helped establish the blueprint for the influential post-rock movement which exploded in the '90s, Talk Talk quietly split after Laughing Stock's release.