Talk Talk
The Colour Of Spring

Talk Talk were certainly one of the best bands of the '80s. Even in the early part of their career, when they were tied to the synth-pop fashion, they had a class and sophistication unknown to their rivals. What they didn't have was an easily marketable image (Mark Hollis certainly didn't make the girls swoon), and the charisma of the more prominent British stars à la Depeche Mode (Mark Hollis could not be defined as a stage animal). "The Colour of Spring" is the transition album par excellence, a bridge between the previous "The Party Is Over" and "It's My Life" and the second period of free-form masterpieces of the wonderful "Spirit of Eden" and "Laughing Stock".

Eight tracks with an average length of five minutes splashed like colors on the palette of their "musical spring", carrying with them a vast instrumental repertoire, always arranged in a meticulous and refined manner. The opening track immediately sets things straight: not a simple danceable drum-machine rhythm garnished with synth flourishes and "dandy" vocals. No, none of this in a 1986 album from a band labeled among many "techno-pop acts" in circulation. Rather, an intro of percussion and drums accompany Hollis's voice (distinctly above the average of the period, and by far) that duets with a children's choir in a celestial crescendo, with heavenly hues. It’s "Happiness Is Easy", a gem that alone would justify buying the album. But the next track "I Don't Believe In You" captivates our ears in the same way, this time decadent and twilight-like but always of high quality. "April 5th", as well as "Chameleon Day", are previews of the dilations that will follow in the future, while "Living In Another World" reprises the engaging sounds of the past in a more elegant key, deformed by the new inspiring light. "Time It's Time", the final track, reaches the same levels as the initial one, with a colorful landscape of sound cues (there's even a gospel-like choir) and mood swings, with an ecstatic tail of blue keyboards like the sky, maintaining that "playful" spirit that has always distinguished all of Talk Talk's production, from all periods.

In conclusion, "The Colour Of Spring" is not a masterpiece, but it's undoubtedly a must-have album, which one could easily fall in love with anyway.