Talk Talk- Laughing Stock

When my family took a trip to London we went to listen to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at Saint Martin and the Fields. I don’t remember the music so much as I remember the story the program said the music was telling, something about fauns and nymphs frolicking and cavorting, was told in incredible detail. I remember thinking as I listened that there is a story being told here, some kind of progression, but I couldn’t hear the details myself. There is something similar going on this album.

This album is Christian, but not in a “Isn’t He magical” sort of way, more of “My god, my god why have you forsaken me?” sort of way. It seems to be saying that while God is the cause of suffering, that is also part of his love. That’s more or less the progression of the album, from despair to reconciliation with the divine. And it is a quiet progression.

I’ve listened to this album three times in the past twenty four hours trying to pin down my thoughts and feelings. If I’m honest, I’m not even sure if I like it. It’s too ephemeral, to dependent on mood. But there are times when I think that it’s one of the best albums I’ve ever heard.

The Talk Talks were given carte blanche by their label to make whatever album they wanted, and what they did couldn’t even be called “perfectionist” but more bordering on insanity. They brought in guest musicians and weren’t satisfied until they’d expressed something like their “essence.” They were also very disciplined, discarding 80% of what they produced at first to leave only the bare bones. And that’s the sound they ended up with, quiet and understated but with epic emotion. This is a painting made with the minimum number of lines.

5/5 I have to recommend this, but with a few caveats. The best way to appreciate this album is in the dark and paying attention to the images the music creates in your mind. They won’t be very vivid, but they will be haunting.