LAUGHING STOCK

I recently came across another glowing review on PA for this album and around the same time an article about Radiohead and the 20th anniversary of OK Computer. With neither album being something that I found particularly enjoyable, I figured I would listen back to back after seeing them sit on the shelf for many years to see if I might be wrong about one or both. Here I review Talk Talk.

This album is worse than I ever remembered and I thought it was bad before. It is minimalism doubled and then squared. Nothing happens, it is all very quiet and slow. There are a few louder parts but these tend to be cacophonous and shrill and leave no lasting impression. There are not a lot of drums and when they do appear, they really aren't conventional in a time keeping sense, more just to add to the morose nature of it all. The singer mostly whispers and seems to be annoyed that he is asked to sing at all. Somehow, they needed 18 musicians to make next to nothing (really, 7 different viola players?!). I can see the appeal for depressed people who might like to put on the headphones in a dark room to help affirm the fact that the world is evil, but anyone who likes their music to raise their pulse above 10 beats a minute should take a hard pass. My one-star is firm. Even another half is undeserved.