Talk Talk-Spirit Of Eden (1988)

Founded in the early 1980s by multi-instrumentalist Mark Hollis, Talk Talk began exploring sounds close to avant-garde synth-pop, and within that framework, they released two interesting albums: "The Party's Over" and "It's My Life", which garnered some interest among the general public. With their third and brilliant album, "The Colour of Spring," the band evolved towards a more experimental and, to some extent, progressive sound, as demonstrated in the superb compositions "I Don't Believe In You", "Living in Another World", and "Give It Up". However, the sound that would define them was their next two albums, "Spirit of Eden" and its successor, "Laughing Stock". On both albums, the band adopted a free and abstract style, with a series of tracks that reveal themselves as delicately constructed soundscapes where every note is powerfully emotional. At this point, we could consider Talk Talk to be to pop rock what King Crimson were to progressive rock, not least because of their ever-changing, abstract musical textures throughout their career. On “Spirit of Eden”, Talk Talk showcases their eclecticism and their dark, brooding side in tracks like “The Rainbow” and “Wealth”, their avant-garde challenge in “Inheritance”, their earthy melodies in the pleasant “I Believe in You”, and their conventional rock in the memorable “Desire”. “Spirit of Eden” became an album as challenging as it was captivating, demonstrating the genius of Mark Hollis in creating a work unlike anything recorded to date.