Talk Talk
The Colour Of Spring
1986

1. Happiness Is Easy
2. I Don't Believe In You
3. Life's What You Make It
4. April 5th
5. Living In Another World
6. Give It Up
7. Chameleon Day
8. Time It's Time

Having sold singles and albums by the continent-load since first making thier way into the spotlight, it was when the prospect of a third Talk Talk album became very real indeed that things started to get a bit more serious. In new keyboardist Tim Friese-Greene, singer Mark Hollis had found a musical mind and very talented songwriter who could do his own vision of where he wanted the band to go justice, as you can probably tell by how much darker, moodier and more atmospheric the pair's co-writes on It's My Life were. Underneath the gloss of the synth-pop sound that dominated that album, there were subtle hints that Talk Talk had a very different kind of musical ammunition available to them. When it came to writing the Colour Of Spring, on paper alone you can tell that the band were seeking a new way of expressing themselves, with each of its eight songs being Hollis/Friese-Greene co-writes. When it came to recording it, Friese-Greene himself found himself in the producer's chair, conjuring a new, stripped-down sound which used more session musicians where there might once have been an excessive use of synthesizers. Together, Talk Talk pursued a very colourful sound which had a lot more in common with Scott Walker than Scritti Politti. The result is an absolutely golden album, and the first in a trio of flawless masterpieces.

Happiness Is Easy kicks the album off, and in the opening alone it's clear that we're dealing with a completely different kettle of fish - a robotic drumbeat goes off into jazzy tangents along with the odd burst of piano notes. Just as Hollis starts to sing of how 'it wrecks me how they justify their acts of war', the full scope of the song ahead of us unravels majestically, as the simplistic string arrangements and very typically-Talk Talk bassline ease into the sonic picture. Complete with a sparingly-used children's choir in the chorus and gorgeous trumpet solo in the bridge, this mid-tempo tune is just an absolutely masterful way to open this album up.

It's a song that's as ambitious as it is catchy, much like I Don't Believe In You after it or, indeed, the rest of the album after it. The general vibe of the album is a brooding, disenchanted kind of album that relies heavily on the undercurrent swathes of acoustic guitar, tight rhythms, subtle synths and a warm kinda feel to the piano, which is exactly what this song delivers. The mid-point guitar solo adds another colour to this wonderful song without being at all intrusive, and with a lyric like this...

...it's just as well really.

Life's What You Make It gets off to a hell of an opening, kinda jumping out at you with that infectious piano figure that kicks it into life. Again, it's propelled so efficiently by Hollis' beautiful singing voice, prominent and robotic kinda rhythm and the occasional blast of guitar to spice things up, all the while underpinned by some ghostly organ flourishes and strings. It's also another song that features a great, yet fittingly unintrusive solo, this one from the piano.

If it weren't for Hollis' instantly-recognisable voice, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is a totally different band from the one that recorded It's My Life and the Party's Over, and the following April 5th is no exception in that regard. Another absolutely gorgeous song, although this time much slower than most of its bedfellows, it gets by on a peculiar rhythmic vibe and strange song structure, riding on Hollis' melody and Friese-Greene's sparse contributions on the piano.

Hollis and Friese-Greene are, then, the two men who this album basically belongs to, given the huge influence they both had on which direction this album (and therefore Talk Talk themselves) finds itself going in, that being the formation of a sound which is as ambitious as it is melodic. The big single from the album, the masterful Living In Another World, is the best example of this combination being used to full effect on this album. A livelier and more guitar and synth-heavy than the songs before it, Living In Another World is the perfect melodic vehicle for Hollis' cryptic lyrics, Friese-Greene's production ideas. Plus, that harmonica kicks arse.

Give It Up, while a bit heavier on the organ and piano and postively harmonica-less, is another song in that kinda vein - one that's so melodic and memorable (Talk Talk's older knack for coming up with a great chorus is on show again here), has another great rhythm and is given so much colour by Hollis' lyric;

Again, it's a million miles away from what Talk Talk had made their name for, as is the following Chameleon Day, which itself is a bit of a stylistic standout on this album. With its very, very slow and drastically desolate vibe, what with the gentle touches on the piano and Hollis' varying-in-volume vocal performance, without giving too much away it's easily the best indicator on this album of what would come even after this.

The shortest song on the album then gives way to the longest; Time It's Time. I've probably gone on a bit too long already, so I'll just tell you to check out the video for it below, and that it's another one of Talk Talk's absolute finest.

So there we have it. One of the true classics of the 80s, or even of all time, which shows the creative vision of Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene , the seeds of which were planted on It's My Life, really blossoming and becoming something very profound and unique. Pivotally, the album spared no effort in being as ambitious and endearing as it is, but also maintained a sufficient amount of melody to make enough money to take Talk Talk on their next musical adventure - a very, very different one even to this album. As for this one, it's among my favourites of all time. As a unit, along with the two albums that'd follow it, it's one of the most seamless listening experiences I've ever had.

10/10