Some records feel impossible to write about. Not because they lack substance, but because they possess too much of it: too much quiet, too much space, too much mystery. They resist language the way water resists a net. Talk Talk’s Spirit of Eden (1988) and Laughing Stock (1991) feel like works designed to escape description altogether. And perhaps the paradox is this: the quieter the music becomes, the more words people spend trying to grasp it. Silence invites interpretation; these albums invite entire libraries. Approaching them feels like stepping barefoot into a dark, vast hall – your perception sharpened, your breath suddenly audible.
Category: Talk Talk
Mark Hollis :: Mark Hollis
The quietly revolutionary Talk Talk singer made one final album before calling it quits: his self-titled solo album debut, from 1998. While often overshadowed by the majestic experimentation of his former project’s late work, Mark Hollis harbors its own secrets and surprises, while building upon the work those albums began. As a final testament, it’s a fitting paradox, full of roaring silences and whispering explosions, a collection of whisper-thin abstractions that have been annealed into something durable and concrete.
Aquarium Drunkard Presents: A Tribute to Talk Talk / Los Angeles, 8.26
This Monday night (8.26), Aquarium Drunkard presents a tribute to the music of Talk Talk and its late founder, Mark Hollis. The evening will be a showcase of the group’s work led by Mirror Man – a group comprised of the members of Derde Verde and friends. The collective put this on several months ago downtown, and it was fantastic, demanding an encore performance. This is it. Free and open to the public. 8pm at Gold Diggers in East Hollywood.