"Once upon a time Mark Hollis was the intense-eyed ranting lad who shouted 'All you do is talk talk!' Then he became the anthemically melancholy lad who moaned 'Its my life!' and never looked back from a life of anthemic melancholy.
"As time goes by, Mark Hollis' music has slipped into a vat of dark, brooding melancholy so deep that even David Sylvian would join Right Said Fred rather than partake of its glummo brew.
"In despair did EMI release an anthemically melancholy singles album and in more despair an anthemically melancholy dance remix album - an act on a par with releasing an Ambient House mix of Sham 69's 'Hurry Up Harry,' only not as interesting.
"Now Hollis has gone to Verve and recorded 'Laughing Stock' with 23 acoustically-oriented bass and organ and drum people. There is a slight jazz feel to this record. There are elements of soundtrack ambience. There are songs called 'After The Flood.' There are lyrics like 'A hunger uncurbed by nature's calling.' The whole thing is unutterably pretentious and looks over its shoulder hoping that someone will remark on its 'moody brilliance' or some such. It's horrible."
― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Wednesday, 15 September 2004 04:31 (nineteen years ago) link
― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 15 September 2004 04:47 (nineteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 15 September 2004 05:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 15 September 2004 08:10 (nineteen years ago) link
― dave q, Wednesday, 29 September 2004 02:12 (nineteen years ago) link