FaveAlbumLarge

Talk Talk

Spirit of Eden (Parlophone)

 

Talk Talking with Lo Moon: Matt Lowell of L.A. indie rockers Lo Moon told us about his love for a Talk Talk gem.

Matt Lowell: This is the bands fourth album released in 1988 and marked a complete departure from Talk Talks’s past sound. Talk Talk became known in the US much later from No Doubt’s cover of “It’s My Life”, but they reached moderate success in Europe on their 1986 album The Colour Of Spring. The success of that album afforded them a much larger budget, and more time when they started on their next record. Instead of following suite on their past, Mark Hollis and company expanded their sound and made one of the most revered and experimental albums of all time. The album was assembled from many hours of improvised takes that Hollis and his collaborator Tim Friese-Greene edited and arranged to to stitch together a unique masterpiece. The result has made Talk Talk and especially this album some of the most informative and important music in my life.

Talk Talk Spirit of Eden cover

(Parlophone)

In 2013 a friend of mine showed up at my studio to hear some new music I was working on. I played him a demo I had called “Loveless” and he immediately said that it reminded him of something off of Spirit Of Eden by Talk Talk, I had no idea what he was talking about. I knew the band like everyone else knew them, from the No Doubt cover. On a snowy day in NYC I left the studio and went directly home to listen to the record. From the second I heard the languid opening of the horn I was transported. The opening statement of “The Rainbow” left me in tears, that piece of music was something I had never heard before but gave me the comfort of a something I had been living with for years. How has this not been in my life until this second? That is the true power of art. I learned so much more from that 41 minutes than I knew was possible, and continue to do so many years later. The way Mark Hollis used his voice as an instrument and the way the band played with space and dynamics made time stand still. I was so inspired, and came in the next day to continue working on ‘loveless’. From then on this record is always a reference point for me in one way or another. I can talk about this album forever, and it’s the one I come back to all the time to remind myself how emotionally powerful music can be. Spirit Of Eden is a beacon for me, a light that continues to remind me to take chances, to lead with the music, and trust my instincts. Thank you Mark Hollis and Talk Talk.

Talk Talking with Lo Moon: Lo Moon’s album A Modern Life is our February 25.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.