Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 09/11/2001
Compare
Spirit of Eden with any other previous release in the
Talk Talk catalog, and it's almost impossible to believe it's the work of the same band -- exchanging electronics for live, organic sounds and rejecting structure in favor of mood and atmosphere, the album is an unprecedented breakthrough, a musical and emotional catharsis of immense power.
Mark Hollis' songs exist far outside of the
pop idiom, drawing instead on
ambient textures,
jazz-like arrangements, and
avant-garde accents; for all of their intricacy and delicate beauty, compositions like
"Inheritance" and
"I Believe in You" also possess an elemental strength --
Hollis' oblique lyrics speak to themes of loss and redemption with understated grace, and his hauntingly poignant vocals evoke wrenching spiritual turmoil tempered with unflagging hope. A singular musical experience.
~Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide