Talk Talk - Natural History - The Very Best Of Talk Talk

I started writing about this record at least two years ago, but couldn't find what I wanted to say about it. I now realise that the problem was that I was hoping that, at some point in the future, I'd get Talk Talk. Some time has passed, and I still don't. This might not be a cool thing to say, and maybe one day it'll all make sense. I promise to update you should that day ever happen.

Back in 2014 I was at the start of my "Slint are incredible" phase of post-rock-listening (and I'm clearly still there as I'm still constantly amazed by Spiderland) and I was reading a bunch of articles about them, and post-rock in general. One thing that came up was that they were heavily influenced by Talk Talk. I was a bit surprised that there was a band apparently so central to a genre that I loved that I wasn't aware of. A short while later I was in Manchester and found this Best Of so figured it would be a worthwhile purchase.

When the needle hit the record I wondered if the articles were all having a laugh; the first half of this record is quintessentially 80's pop. The closest thing to it in the rest of my record collection is the soundtrack to The Lost Boys (which a friend gave to me after finding in a charity shop. More on that another time). I certainly couldn't hear how it influenced post-rock.

I've since learnt that the album Spirit of Eden was the turning point and the catalyst of all the post-rock influence, and that album only features at the end of this compilation. I've since bought a copy of Spirit of Eden in the hope that would shine more light, but I remain none the wiser about how this band were an influence on post-rock. It's a fine album, but I, as a non-expert (musically) cannot see the connection (here the clue is that the five songs on side B are mostly 6-minutes-plus, compared to the seven pop-length songs on the first side).

I'm putting this down to what I'm calling the "Blade Runner effect". I saw Blade Runner in my mid-20's having already seen many, many other sci-fi films. As a result, I was confused by its "classic" status - controversial opinion moment - it's a fine film, but not the greatest sci-fi film ever made. However, it was one of the first, and that's why it's a classic - it paved the way for all those other films. So many of the ideas in Blade Runner were novel at the time, but now seem like sci-fi tropes, or so basic they're not even a thing. But, if you saw it when it came out, I can totally understand how it would have blown your mind. Same goes for Talk Talk and the subtle change from the first half of side B to the second half I think.

That's a very long way of saying that "I think you had to be there" to really appreciate the impact of Spirit of Eden. I wasn't there, and I've heard a lot of music that has, in theory, taken what they were doing and ran with it. That makes it pretty hard to as overwhelmed by Talk Talk as I hoped to be (maybe my high expectations were part of the problem).

That said, there is plenty to take some enjoyment from here - Such a Shame has a pretty huge chorus and I'm constantly reminded of my utter confusion when It's My Life hit - for some reason knowing this song really well but not knowing why (the No Doubt cover was, of course, the reason); it is a fine pop song, as both versions demonstrate. I'm not a fan of the freaky childrens' choir on Happiness is Easy. The final two songs (from Spirit of Eden) are a bit of a departure from the rest - slower and more considered, but somehow less happens. Not sure if that's the post-rock influence or not. Desire has that quiet-to-very-loud thing that I guess is pretty typical, so that's something.

Format: 12", picture sleeve
Tracks: 12
Cost: £8 second-hand
Bought: Vinyl Exchange, Manchester
When: 18/05/14
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no

Shit & Shine - You're Lucky to Have Friends Like Us

I think I liked the idea of Shit & Shine despite having never actually heard them. I remember seeing that they'd done a Latitudes session, which was probably when I first heard their name. A while later I saw that they were playing London and the rough description including the words "noise" and "two drummers" appealed to me. In the end, I didn't go see them (because I'm lazy) but didn't forget about them.

Some years later I was record shopping in Manchester and found this second-hand copy of their first album for £10 in a second-hand record shop. I'm not sure I'd ever seen any of their music in a shop before, let alone a limited edition copy on vinyl (only 500 pressed). Some retrospective browsing of Discogs shows that it's not that hard to come by, but it was a pleasant find. Still having never heard them, I bought it and excitedly played it when I got home.

The sad news in this tale is that album is barely listenable, which is something I imagine they're quite proud of. I thought I'd get more out of it than I have, but there's really not much enjoyment to be had. I like noise but I have my limits. Shit & Shine exist wholly in a world beyond those limits (or perhaps I like a certain, soft-core version and noise and have no interest in this part of the genre). I've not played the record very much and I should probably feel guilty for that, but I really doubt I'll ever get anything out of this album. There is little across the 18 tracks that you could call a song, and the result isn't remotely pleasant on the ears. On the rare occasion you can hear an actual instrument, it's played in a fairly painful, horrible way. It's a shame, but a reminder that there are advantages to be in had in listening to bands before buying any of their music. The highlight for me is the brief sample of the Countdown clock, which says a lot about the album.

Format: 12", clear sleeve, a4 insert
Tracks: 18
Cost: £10 second-hand
Bought: Vinyl Exchange Manchester
When: 18/05/14
Colour: White
Etching: None
mp3s: No

Dirty Projectors - About To Die

Sometime I find I buy records just because I'm spending money; on the day I found this I'd picked up a couple of other records I fancied and just added this one to the pile. It's by no means an essential purchase and £7 for a four-song EP isn't exactly a bargain. That said, Dirty Projectors have been on a roll recently and their last two (proper) albums, Bitte Orca and Swing Lo Magellan, were both incredible. 

About to Die is a single from the second of those albums, sandwiched between the two highlights - Offspring Are Blank and Gun Has No Trigger. On the album then, About to Die never really caught my attention due to the strength of its neighbours, but it's a pretty good song. While You're Here isn't the most interesting song, but is apparently written about the death of the bassist from TV on the Radio. The two songs on the b-side both have more going for them, but show a simpler side of the band; the arrangements are more basic and it leaves room for the song to do the work.

Anyway, it's a nice enough EP but certainly isn't the sort of record that will change anyone's life. Despite it being second-hand the download card worked fine, much to my surprise. 

Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 4
Cost: £7 second hand
Bought: Vinyl Exchange, Manchester
When: 18/05/14
Colour: Black
Etching: None
mp3s: Download

Iron & Wine - Around the Well

Back in January I wrote about The Woman King by Iron & Wine. It was the first Iron & Wine album I ever heard and remains to be my favourite. The second Iron & Wine album I heard was the b-sides and rarities compilation Around the Well, which remains to be my second favourite Iron & Wine album (the fact that neither of these are "proper" albums is probably of note).

About six months after I bought The Woman King I'd just moved to London and spent a Saturday afternoon browsing the record shops of Soho for bargain cds. In one of the second hand stores I found a copy of Around the Well on cd for £7 and, having enjoyed The Woman King so much, figured it was worth a shot. I also noticed that it contained the cover of Such Great Heights (a song I've already sung the praises of twice - in the post about The Woman king above, and in this post about Give Up by The Postal Service) so I knew it would contain at least one excellent song.

In amongst those 23 songs there were some other gems that stood out at various points over the years - The Postal Service-esque Sacred Vision, Hickory, The Flaming Lips' Waitin' for a Superman, Belated Promise Ring and Arms of a Theif. However, the highlight of the collection by far is the final, nearly 10-minute long song, The Trapeze Swinger. I've not listened to every Iron & Wine album, but The Trapeze Swinger must surely be one of his absolute finest. As the song rolls on the story unfolds and it never gets boring. The drums and gentle backing-vocals fill the track in a beautiful way and act as a bed for the guitar, floating lyrics and organ. If you have 10 minutes to check out a new song today, I can't recommend enough that it should be The Trapeze Swinger.

A couple of weeks ago I was record shopping in Manchester and found this second-hand, triple-LP version of Around the Well in very good condition for £12. The shop it was in wasn't the cheapest so I was quite surprised to find an album I wanted quite so reasonably. I've had the cd for nearly five years but £12 was a price I was willing to pay for The Trapeze Swinger alone. When I got home I was pleasantly surprised again to find that the F-side of the vinyl was etched (see below). A lot of record labels would have considered cutting a song to make it fit on two discs, so you've got to love Sub Pop for doing the opposite and dedicating a whole 12" to that incredible last song. 

Format: Triple 12", insert, etched F-side

Tracks: 23

Cost: £12 second hand

Bought: Vinyl Exchange, Manchester

When: 18/05/14

Colour: Black

Etching: Etched F-side

mp3s: Download code