IT'S MY LIFE

80's pop at its nearly best! Even though I prefer the later Talk Talk's deeply innovative artful style, I enjoy also the upbeat songs like 'It's My Life' and 'Dum Dum Girl'. They were miles ahead of Duran Duran or Human League - in fact to categorize earlier Talk Talk as mere 'synth pop' is unfair. They had a good deal of originality to start with, the sound and overall appearance just took more time to fully mature. And yes, Mark Hollis has a unique voice.

On the second album side there are some tracks that to me are a bit boring and monotonous ('Call in the Night, Boys' is better as a spacey piano version on some TT compilation, and 'Does Caroline Know?' could have remained as a perfect single b-side). But apart from the energy-surge of the hit tracks, this album's highlights are 'Renée' and 'Tomorrow Started', both sad and very atmospheric. Trumpet solo in the latter is actually quite jazzy. Also featured is the (Brand X etc) percussionist Morris Pert. This music may be more or less 'synth pop' or 'new wave ' but very well played and intelligent with many levels to be found in it. A minor classic of its era.