The Colour Of Spring

Was für wunderbare Musik das hier ist, noch auf dem Höhepunkt ihrer Popstarkarriere aufgenommen und sich dem ganzen Rummel ja schon deutlich verweigernd in ihrer zarten Versponnenheit und der weitsichtigen Melancholie, die zwischen und neben den großen Pop-Entwürfen (Life’s What You Make It; Living In Another World) überall durchscheint. Aber wie es trägt und beruhigt, dabei wach ist und klar wie ein Morgen mitte März: Big Love dafür, für alles! Talk Talk sind sicher nicht unterschätzt, aber soweit ich beurteilen kann noch nicht ausreichend gewürdigt. Muss dringend geändert werden.

6/10

I'd never heard of Talk Talk or this album before today, but I'm so glad I now know who they are. This album is gorgeous! I wish I had more time to digest the lyrics, but this review will mostly focus on its sonic characteristics. This album showcases a wide range of moods. "Chameleon Day" is almost startlingly heartbreaking, with the singer's voice changing abruptly from soft and melancholy to loud and splitting. The track is spacious and empty, accompanied only by occasional piano notes and a soft woodwind outro. In contrast, a song like "Living In Another World" combines acoustic guitar, harmonica, driving drums, rock organ, piano, and funky bass to create a lush sonic landscape. Can I comment on that organ a bit? This album is full of it, giving it a grand, religious tone. The first and maybe second tracks are obviously religious in nature, though I don't know exactly what the singer is trying to comment on. But whatever it is, it sounds great. The final song, a long, gorgeous ballad called "Time It's Time", is a fitting end to such a lush and varied album. I really never got bored over the course of these long tracks, and I'll definitely be coming back to see what more I can get from this thing. 7/10

I was never a big fan of Talk Talk's, even though I didn't mind its music. This one's not bad at all, yet I can see why, generally speaking, Talk Talk has faded away from public awareness more than some of its eighties compatriots that seem to be back on the public's agenda (for some odd reason or another).

Meh

Although I do enjoy Talk Talk's music, it needs to be in doses. An album of the same, unadventurous vocals is too much.

This feels like it was written by a guy who, when told "I'm sad," would say "Happiness is a choice, choose to be happy :)".

Three days in a row, artists I know I should have listened to! Very 80s production, always a worry. Some interesting stuff going on in Happiness is Easy though. Instruments jumping in and out quite forcefully. Not keen on the vocalist though. Second track was moody but barely registered. Obviously I know Life's What You Make It. Fond of it, but that may be down to Grand Theft Auto (Vice City). April 5th is very gloomy in a good way. However, everything on this album is feeling over long. By Living in Another World I kind of get it, taking the production and tropes of 80s AOR pop but writing edgier, more deep songs within this is an interesting, if not terribly exciting idea. Unfortunately it just sounds like Paul Young but emo to me, and isn't holding my attention. Chameleon Day is horrible, like a saxophone jazz fart with whining over the top, and given there are few tracks on this album, has certainly cost it a point in the final reckoning.

Звучит балдёжно, психоделично Но как-то однообразно

decidely 80's, Duran Duran-esque. Pretty meh.

Not feeling this one right now. Could be where I'm at in my life or something. The vocals just didn't hit how I feel they should have. Which is why I'm gonna recommend this one to my future self. Maybe it will feel different by then. We'll see I guess. Eitherway it's decent, just feela like I should like it more.

Sublime. so Sublime

Killer 80s album. I'm a bit particular about my synthwave, but these guys nailed it.

Talk Talk is a band that I really, really need to listen more. This is a great album, it's got some nice melodies going on, plus all those grooves that these guys were well known for.

Opvallende, mooie hoes. De muziek is iets minder in het oog springend, maar wel goed

Not bad throughout. Nothing standing out to make this album amazing. Do really dig the vocals

Meh. 2.5.

I love this band… and this album does not disappoint!

This band pushed and pulled at the limits of 80s New Wave and Synth Pop in the same way that Radiohead did with 90s alt rock and Bon Iver did with 00s/10s indie rock. I’m kind of amazed I never heard of them until Mark Hollis died two years ago.

Didn’t grab me.

Yet another mediocre new wave band on the list. I'm not even surprised by it anymore. I just expect to get at least one a week. Like ALL the other so far, this is ignorable bordering on annoying. At least the singer's voice is half-decent. That earns it a two star review.

Interesting!

The 2 albums they made after this are incredible, never heard this one before. Amazing they gave up pop music and started doing this

Not sure how I feel about this. Kinda liked it but also kinda don't really care. Not for it, but about it. I'm so nonplussed. like this is the most didn't love it didn't hate it album I've ever listened to. It's full and basic at the same time. Hard to explain.

Seems at first blush to be a synthesis of soft rock and baroque pop. I dig the instrumental palette. However, there are few hooks otherwise and the songs are subtle enough that I feel going below the surface is necessary. There did seem to be some symmetry, perhaps mirroring the cover.

Wasn't what I was expecting it was far more introverted than I expected talk talk to be

Interesting intermediary sounding album between new wave and more experimental post rock sound of their later stuff. Some cool instrumental flourishes throughout.

Never heard this album before. It seems ok, I'm giving it a 2/5 for now. We'll see if it gets better with time. Nothing stood out to me on this album.

Its ok, i expected more when i listened to the first track But its okay

Sounded fine. But booooooring.

Many consider this album to be the transitonal album between prior synthpop and successive post-rock, but I believe this album stands on its way own. Indeed, Mark Hollis one said he wanted each album to be a new and different experience for his listeners, and I believe he accomplished that. With full creative control, Hollis has ditched the synths in favor of a more experimental orchestral sound. And after listening to Depeche Mode, I've grown to better appreciate elements of orchestral pop. Each track is solid and distinct, providing an engaging listen all throughout. And of course being a pop album, there are several tracks that you could just sing over and over again, with the biggest example being "Life's What You Make It." This album accomplishes what it intends to do and leads the way not just for the post-rock they end up doing, but also the orchestral pop others will follow.

I like this

Interesting album, and by interesting I mean boring. Very 80’s slow vibe you’d hear in some weird transition during a boring Bond movie. Might be the epitome of lack of effort 80s slow album

Title track is great. I like the style a lot, the mix of instruments at the front and dominant bass makes me think of Tame Impala at times

Dig Talk Talk I guess!

Ha estado bien pero se me ha hecho larguísimo que se bajen dos tonitos

nostalgic good listen

3

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Life's what you make it, Living in another world,

Yeah noice

slightly wild and very ambitious. I really liked the quick "zaps" of sounds we get coming from acoustic guitars and synths throughout the record; they get the passion across. sounds something like talking heads crossed with peter Gabriel. reminds me of a precursor to Destroyer. 7/10 rounding up.

You need to be in the right mood for this one, but if you are, it's great. You can really lose yourself in it.

Very good album

Haven't listened to Talk Talk before, and am seriously regretting it now. Fantastic, dream-like songs that have fantastic melodies and are slightly reminiscent of late era Pink Floyd. Definitely listening to more. Favorite Song: I Don't Believe In You

"Life's What You Make It" is the one track I was familiar with. The voice of the lead singer is unmistakable and easily recognizable on each track, but apparently Talk Talk is not for me.

This upbeat, new wave pop album was interesting to listen to and had all types of sounds and instruments. It seems to represent the 80's well with its unique flair and improvisation skills in the studio.

chill, but not quite my thing.

It's this interesting transitional album between their synthpop phase and their genre-defining post rock records

More like background music. Didn’t really pay attention

It was okay. Maybe it gets better with time. 3 stars

ну наконецта лучший музыкальный жанр на свете! Хотя не знаю, насколько это можно назвать именно синтипопом, ибо попа собсна тут как будто и не особо (танцевать под это сложно, по крайней мере). Но вообще-то, если вы присмотритесь ко мне, то сможете увидеть меня, например, идущим по улице с работы домой или сидящим в офисном кресле, или лежащим на диване. Улавливаете? никаких клубов, никаких танцев. Поэтому мне так даже лучше. А альбом между тем охуенный. Тоже ловится некий ПетШопБойз вайб, но здесь, мне кажется, он скорее реверсивный — несмотря на общий год основания, чувствуется, что Толк Толк на них как минимум не меньшее влияние оказали. В общем мне очень зашло, припевы супер мелодраматичные, вокалист очень харизматичный, что удивительно зашёл даже симфоник-хор в последней песне — а я себе такое нечасто позволяю. По-настоящему не проперся только от открывашки — какая-то она чутка бесформенная, голоса эти детские не в тему, хз. Но все, что после — очень увлекательно. 9/10

Ну нет. Хотел благожелательно отнестись к альбому, но не выходит. Time It's Time неплоха. I Don't Believe In You тоже работает, в принципе. Альбом создаёт определённое настроение. Но всё очень скучно. Будет трек отсюда играть бы по радио в парикмахерской (куда я не пойду) - не обращу внимания. А если обращу, то не вспомню, что несколько раз прослушал ныне. Не раздражает, но вообще не то, что нужно.

That's a no from me, dog. It's like Tears for Fears without the hits.

How are all these songs like 10 minutes long? I like it, but I like it at a tight 3 minutes per song.

The true artist chooses from the seemingly infinite possibilities of notation, rhythm and instrumentation to create a song so infused with the spirit and intention of its purpose that the lyrics couldn't possibly be anything else. That's alchemy.

Lots to love about this. A few months ago I became pretty obsessed with the follow-up 'Spirit of Eden'. The production on both albums is incredible. Every note, tone and strum fits perfectly. The craft and dedication to create and structure the songs is something I can only praise. On top of this is the introspective and existential lyrics.

Uninspiring dirge for the most part. Give it up was a good song though.

This album is amazing, but I very much love this band. As such, this album must be graded on a curve. Since 5 is the best I can give, I’m forced to give this a 4. Really a 4.5, maybe even .7. The problem is, Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock are so absolutely amazing, that the 5’s are reserved for them. This album has Life’s What You Make It. So damn good

Descubrimiento. Tiene todo lo bueno de los ochenta. Art pop de largos desarrollos con notas de blues o jazz, que sin dejar atrás la New Wave la sobrepasa yendo un poco más allá. La línea de bajo es de Rustin Man. El cantante, Hollis, se sale. Genial.

Simplón

2.6 didn't care for this one tbh

Good acoustics

Might even be better than Spirit Of Eden.

I don’t want to talk talk about it.

I liked a lot of the music but didn't enjoy the vocals

Very 80's.was okay.

Why is there so much Synth Pop?

droning 80s new wave with vaguely ridiculous warbly vocals. Sounds like an Elvis Costello impersonator improv-ing over infomercial bkgd music. Some head-nodding beats here but one-dimensional overall.

Well, that took me back and I knew I’d love it ! Especially Life’s what you Make It. ****

Kevään väri on kaagelin ruskea. Tätä kuunnellessa lähinnä odotteli milloin tämä loppuu. Kasarisyntikoita laiskoissa biiseissä. Vähän lapsikuoroa ja muuta tekotaiteellista tvistiä viimeisteleevaikutuksen.

For me, it's a very good album. However, it's bettered by their last albums Spirit Of Eden and Laughing Stock.

Meh. Dull.

Brilliant 80s album

Great

Incredible piece of work

exactly the kind of album i joined this for ...but didn't really like it. couldn't take to the vocals and although the musicianship is obviously good it all felt a but forced and earnest. hey ho. 2.5/10

Does little for me

No es su peor disco, pero casi.

Not for me. All a bit 'nothing'

again, nice but middle of the road and no need to re-listen

Another one that grew on me. Massively 80's. I Don't Believe in You and Give It Up were good.

Bandu nie znam, nie kojarze, pierwsze widze, pierwsze slysze, ale oczywiscie brytyjska grupa z lat 80, albumik zaliczylbym do soft rocka lub artystycznego rocka, pozytywne wibracje leca przez cale 45 minut krazka, o dziwo wyspiarski wokal, a strasznie mi siadl, chociaz nie ma go zbyt wiele, bo niektore tracki sa czysto instrumentalne, ale jak jest to nie psuje kompozycji instrumentow i to jest jak dla mnie najwazniejsze, troche poor boyowe lub joelowe skojarzenia z nim mam, na plejke wrzucam opening happienes is easy oraz living in another world, trzeba bedzie sprawdzic reszte albumikow talk talka

Weird voice but eerily pleasant. A nice mellow ride all the way through

Nice enough but they have better long players

Sophisticated indie pop from a time and age of cheesy synth pop and radio oriented sugary tunes. Only for that the band deserves a hats off. They did better records before and after though

“The Color of Spring” by Talk Talk (1986) A good album that has its flaws, mostly conceptual. In those places where the message tiptoes close to meaning (tracks 1 and 2), we find categorical moralizing without substance—they clearly want someone to feel bad, but who? Somebody wants to say something, but band mates (or managers) smother that baby in the bassinet. For the rest, there are only hints of feeling for another; only small attempts at expressing soul. But the music is good, well executed, incorporating elements of jazz, and effectively utilizing silence in distinct layers of the mix. Good dynamic contrast. Lead vocals are decent, successfully avoiding distracting from the soundscape (which, along with the excellent rhythm section, is the real musical feature here). The synthesizer arrangements were done by someone who really knows the instruments, creating sounds which merge well with the mood. Lots of free-form melodies and chord structures—but could use more harmony. Nothing jarring or out of place. Anxiety free music. This would be a good album to play in the background while working on the more routine aspects of a creative project. But I couldn’t figure out why the color palette of the cover (brown, yellow, orange) was used on an album entitled “The Colour of Spring”. I’m content to let it go. 3/5

cool drum pattern to start off Happiness Is Easy. Life's What You Make It is a good pop single. though some tones on that track come out of nowhere. This is good laundry folding music, or back yard barbequing music. Chameleon Day is very, very different from the rest of the album. Not a big fan of an 8 minute operatic ending on an album fueled by synth pop hits

Interesting

Son los de It's my life, y otras canciones conocidas.

Ok

It was ok, didn't really stand out.

Flojillo

6

Droney, 80s, bummer music. If there was a catchy song on here I would give it 2 but this was a chore.

2 - bissle nichtssagend

sometimes reminds me of roxy music, but it doesn't really come close to that level of musical genius. it's fine, just a little repetitive, i guess, for my tastes.

90s TV drama saxophone

Some stellar Talk Talk on here, but too many misses to listen all the way through

Pretty good

Boring

Production: 15/20 Songwriting: 14/20 Innovation: 16/20 Bangers: 5/20 Emotional response: 14/20 =64 enjoyed

Good album, heard some 90’s sounds coming through.

Quite alright. Life's What You Make It is the highlight here that even got a cover which was way more popular but oh well, that's how life works I guess.

Really cool sound and I had fun listening to a new band

Kind of a nice lackadaisical album.

Hyvin samantyyppistä kasarielektroa kuin Duran Duran, ja sokkokuuntelussa nämä bändit oliskin voinut sekoittaa keskenään. Ehkä Duran Duran luottaa enemmän tarttuviin melodioihin, kun taas Talk Talkilla on hieman taiteellisempi ote tekemiseen. Erittäin positiivinen yllätyshän tämä oli. Aiemmin bändistä oli tuttua ainoastaan nimi, ja musiikkigenre oli tiedossa etäisesti. Mukavaa että listalta on alkanut löytymään enemmän tällaisia uusia tuttavuuksia joita varmasti tulee kuunneltua myöhemminkin.

I liked this one, so well done to these guys.

Pretty Nice music Just not in the mood

its the 80's but in a melancholic way

Not too much my cup of tea. Reminds me quite a bit of Depeche Mode, late 80s synth stuff.

A very impressive piece of New Wave/art rock. It's a bit long winded but I really like it after my first listen.

Yuck

Meh

Really good album that fits squarely into my wheelhouse stylistically. I listened to this mostly in the background, so I didn't pay particular attention to the lyrics, but really liked the sound. 4 stars.

Nice! Bra prodd

The worst of the 80s

Pretty solid. You can see the influence on Radiohead they had.

Something new, yet very interesting. Similar to Depeche Mode, like it a lot

The 80s were a mistake

Not my style

Very interesting. I like the sparsness, its an element I havent seen a lot in New Wave type music.