Ex-Talk Talk mainman Mark Hollis released this self-titled debut album in 1998 some seven years after that band's supposedly last album was first heard. In many ways this effort sees the Southend star plough a similar minimalist jazz furrow only this time with even more minimalism on show. The sparseness of the whole CD brings obvious comparisons with Erik Satie and also a more muted version of quiet guitar-angst rock bands like Bark Psychosis and Hood, and although Talk Talk's later career was an undeniable influence on those bands this re-release lacks the subtle aching melodies of their successors' records. It is easy to imagine boffins scratching their chins in earnest to these pieces of mild depression, but to most listeners less is definitely less in this case.
Ex-Talk Talk mainman Mark Hollis released this self-titled debut album in 1998 some seven years after that band's supposedly last album was first heard. In many ways this effort sees the Southend star plough a similar minimalist jazz furrow only this time with even more minimalism on show. The sparseness of the whole CD brings obvious comparisons with Erik Satie and also a more muted version of quiet guitar-angst rock bands like Bark Psychosis and Hood, and although Talk Talk's later career was an undeniable influence on those bands this re-release lacks the subtle aching melodies of their successors' records. It is easy to imagine boffins scratching their chins in earnest to these pieces of mild depression, but to most listeners less is definitely less in this case.
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