Talk Talk – Laughing Stock

I'm pretty sure I listened to Talk Talk off the back of an interview Mark Hollis did in The Wire, where he talked of his love of Can and Miles Davis. I was like what? Talk Talk? Weren't they that shit pop band that made the disgusting new romantic songs? Okay, I've got to check this record.

So I went to a record store to check Laughing Stock and I was floored, listening to on a pair of headphones in a record store and buying it instantly. It's phenomenal, I've grown to love it more now than I did then. I loved it instantly: the use of space, the haunting quality of it, the deep soulfulness of it, the absolute minimalism of it. Laughing Stock felt like guitar music could be relevant again and be totally refreshing. That idea of deep, deep melancholy also spoke to me. I was a moody child, between anger and melancholy, spite and self-pity. Talk Talk and Closer by Joy Division were both albums that spoke loud and clear.