Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 02:36:43 +0200 From: Strong Comet Subject: Mark Hollis To all of you out there, who don't know whether to buy Hollis' new solo = project, here's something that will help you out: Mark Hollis' first solo recording, self produced and co-written with a = variety of people - including pianist Phil Ramekin, guitarist Dominic = Miller and Warne Livesey - the album is entirely acoustic. Nothing has been amplified and has been beautifully recorded by veteran = engineer Phill Brown, with just on judiciously placed pair of = microphones. Hollis' quietly emotive voice is surrounded by the most = subtle flecks of piano, percussion, woodwind, harmonica, harmonium and = acoustic guitar. It's as if the walls of an old jazz studio have been = tapped for their remembered sounds. During the 90's, Hollis has taken time to learn more about notation and = spent two years composing pieces for a woodwind quintet - two clarinets, = bassoon, flute and cor anglais. Unlike the later Talk Talk albums, this = record was entirely written before recording began. Hollis spent found = months in the studio with Phill Brown laying down the eight songs, which = range from the pellucid piano and voice opener "The colour of spring" to = the folk-jazz of "The gift" and the modernistic "A life (1895-1915)", an = 8-minute piece centered around one of Hollis' delicate woodwind = arrangements. "It's going back to the most fundamental and honest way of recording", = says Hollis, "just playing and playing and capturing the sound, like = recording your first band in your front room". This is not a pop record , but a further refinement of everything Hollis = has been working on for the last 15 years: the geography of sound, the = infinite shades of tonality, the lure of less. "I've always believed that to play one note well is better than to play = ten notes badly. I like the way instruments resonate when they're hit at = low level. Being totally acoustic was very important for this album. = You'd arrive at a point where you'd know that, by amplifying something, = you could save it, but I wouldn't do it. You have to find another way to = make the thing work, that's part of the discipline. I love sound, and I = also love silence. And, in a way, I like silence more." Mark Hollis eases ever closer to the perfect way to break a silence. = (from official record company bio for the new album). Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 09:57:47 -0800 From: Steve Miller Subject: Mark Hollis "Starting with 17 seconds and ending with two full minutes of room ambience and tape hiss, the extraordinary atmosphere in 'Mark Hollis' is one of awed respect for holy silence and a profound reluctance to break it. Advocates will consider this to be among the most beautiful music ever made; critics (which usually include his record companies) will complain of increasingly rarefied minimalism that no one has any use for. Hollis, an artist to his bones, can only make the music he considers needs to be made, in his own time. Long may he." Sounds to me like it should appeal to pretty much any 4AD fan. Me? It took a few listens to get used to, but, now I am, I think it's a gorgeous LP. Obviously similar to Spirit Of Eden, and Laughing Stock, but obviously a progression / regression. Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1998 20:08:59 -0700 From: mark von minden Subject: Mark Hollis/Grimble Grumble Maybe I haven't been paying enough attention, but I don't recall anyone mentioning the new Mark Hollis record on this list yet. Well, I just received my copy in the mail from Rioux's Records today (Riouxs@aol.com) and I am more than thrilled with this record after only one listen. Certainly Mark Hollis has created something as wonderful as the last two Talk Talk records...wow! Empty, minimal, and just plain beautiful...(and worth the rather high import price). Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1998 10:43:54 -0700 From: Chris Palacios Subject: Must Listens and Utter stuff Haven't heard much in the way of new stuff so I'll make some recommendations in hopes some you will be able to share my excitement. Brian Hollis (PolydorLtd Uk) - the promo sticker on this read, "Mark Hollis, formerly of Talk Talk." I was never much of a fan of them, and besides I was too young to appreciate their value. Seems like its one of those things I missed out on and never really got...I'll spare the examples since I can't think of any now. I any case, I wasn't sure about this one. On first listen. I thought, hey this is pretty good. On second listen, I thought hum, this is moody, I love it. On third and subsequent listens I have come to the conclusion that this would have been on my top five of 97, if I had heard it 97. I don't know why but this hadn't really got much press in my neck of the woods, unless of course I missed something, which is highly probable. The disc shift from moody piano and vox, to acoustic and vox and then some aimless textures of sax, and percussion a la Movietone. In fact the last half of the record is above and beyond what Movietone accomplish in both texture, mood and song writing. Mark Hollis voice is pretty much what it's all about. This is highly reccomended by me, for fans of Movietone, later Hood and even Nick Drake. A must have! For SF listies, I bought my copy at Aquarius Records, in case you have trouble tracking it down. Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1998 10:37:57 +0100 From: David Thorpe Subject: Recently in the UK... MARK HOLLIS Mark Hollis LP (Polydor UK 537 688-2) Stick this British CD into your player and for the first 17 seconds you think you're listening to a bad tape copy; you bump up the volume to hear nothing but hiss whilst you wait in anticipation for the first note. When it comes, it's no shock to the system, but as you settle into the sofa everything around suddenly becomes very brittle and breakable. The fragility of Mark Hollis's voice, the quietness of the instrumentation and those calming pauses at the extremities are what initially struck me the most about this LP. On subsequent listens, I was caught by the beautiful arrangements of piano, clarinet, harmonica, bassoon. The sharp intrusions of Trumpet on <> or Cor Anglias on <> are, literally, a shock to this fragile universe. Chris Palacios [on impure-l] compared the sound to that of British group Movietone; I'd have to say it's more like the most sparse and reflective moments of David Sylvian's <>. Be careful with this CD; if you handle it with anything but the utmost respect, it will break into a million pieces. I recommend this with all of my heart! (David Thorpe) Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 15:33:20 +0000 From: djt Subject: Top pop records of 1998 MARK HOLLIS <> (Polygram) Released early in the year but very difficult to forget. Mark Hollis's solo record is a fragile piece of work, but one which resonates long after leaving the turntable. The careful arrangements of brass, string and percussion instruments plus Mark Hollis's piercing voice always leaves me feeling calm and reflective.