Last updated August 26, 1998
From Sydney Morning Herald, April, 1998
This is a record so quiet and delicate in poise that you cannot simply let it wash over
you. It begins and ends with extended silence. Mark Hollis, the eponymous solo debut for
the former Talk Talk leader is an exacting collection and to find your way you really have
to tune in. Fans of Talk Talk will immediately recognise the alluring ambiguity of
Hollis's music, yet here that free quality is closed in on and compacted. Hollis's
arrangements are cut with more precision than ever before, and recording acoustically with
only two microphones creates intense intimacy. Hooking into melody is of no large
importance and what groove there is on the album often becomes just another texture. The
sound of the album is very much the album, and it builds its own pattern and harmony;
typical of Hollis's unique approach. However, for all his concern with tone and cautious
assembling, Hollis's songs occupy a rare emotional space. His reedy, aching voice remains
a focus, despite wandering in and out of earshot among the soft flow of the instruments -
including brass and woodwind sections with piano, acoustic guitar, bass and drums - that
float around classical, jazz and folk feels. Pinning down Mark Hollis is no easy task, but
it doesn't exist to trick anyone. It's the sound of one of our most searching artists.
Andrew Khedoori
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Last updated August 26, 1998