Often cited as one of the decade’s most influential records, Spirit of Eden was relatively unprecedented in the 1980’s even by Talk Talk‘s own three albums released prior. It was a game changer; Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene entered the studio in 1987 as a multi-million selling new wave pop band and emerged with a sprawling improvised masterpiece fusing elements of pop, jazz, ambient minimalism, noise and just about everything else.
Even now, 27 years on, the album has hardly dated as it was so far ahead of time and it’s legacy has since become apparent. Being seen in many ways as a pre-cursor to the post-rock genre with it’s focus on textures and dynamics rather than form going on to be hugely influential in the work of acclaimed groups such as Bark Psychosis and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. As well as this kind of visceral instrumentation the album has a very raw emotional centre to it, Hollis’ vocals sounding particularly tortured as he switches between mumbles and wails of spiritual catharsis; it sounds almost unsettlingly personal at times.
This perfect balance between emotion and musical progression is the magic that lies at the heart of Spirit of Eden, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if it still sounds just as fresh in another twenty-odd years.
