Contemporary Bands that use traditional instruments?

[Ramona_A_Stone]

Been listening to Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock by Talk Talk (in a fit, you might say) for the last couple of days. These last two albums by this band are almost sacred to me, definitely at the top of my all time recordings list. Perusing the liner notes earlier, I realized they belonged in your thread, Mr. Knife.

Spirit of Eden's potently eerie but beautiful aural textures is worlds apart from the bubbly synth-pop hits— Talk Talk and It's My Life (their first two albums)—that typified Talk Talk's early '80s new wave sound. After scoring a bestseller in 1986's The Colour of Spring, EMI gave the band (Hollis, Friese-Greene, Webb, and Harris) a hefty recording budget for their next effort. Moving into an abandoned church, Talk Talk embarked on a lengthy 14-month recording session. When the group finally delivered Spirit of Eden, EMI execs—who had been refused advance access to the recordings—were shocked: The album's classical and freeform jazz influences and art-rock leanings broke from traditional pop expectations, resulting in something utterly uncategorizable! This record label nightmare elicited nary a commercial whimper, but quickly garnered huge critical accolades, nevertheless. Even more than a decade after the album's release, the organic, often stark, arrangements decorated by singer Mark Hollis' nasal and hauntingly plaintive vocals still command immediate attention. Listed as individual tracks, "The Rainbow," "Eden," "Desire" are really three parts to a single brooding 23-minute piece reminiscent of the more melancholy sections on Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. As "The Rainbow" and "Eden" unfold as contemplative lilts with moments of soft atonality, "Desire" percolates to an aggressive and percussive climax. Fans of late-'90s electronic music also take note: Spirit of Eden's transcendent ambience practically paved the way for later innovators such as Massive Attack, making this a truly forward-thinking album.

(from a review by Bryan Yates at musthear.com, with whom I agree on every account, although I would probably gush a lot more like a complete groupie)

Players and instrumentation on Spirit of Eden:

Mark Hollis: vocal, piano, organ, guitar
Tim Friese-Greene: harmonium, piano, organ, guitar
Paul Webb: electric bass
Lee Harris: drums
Martin Ditcham: percussion
Robbie Mcintosh: dobro, 12-string guitar
Mark Feltham: harmonica
Simon Edwards: Mexican bass
Danny Thompson: double bass
Henry Lowther: trumpet
Nigel Kennedy: violin†
Hugh Davies: shozygs*
Andrew Stowell: bassoon
Michael Jeans: oboe
Andrew Mariner: clarinet
Christopher Hooker: cor anglais
Choir of Chelmsford Cathedral

†: Which also reminds one that Kronos Quartet belongs here.
*: I have no idea what that is.

Within Without

[theknife]

Thank you all for the input...

and thank you, Mr.Stone - I always find your suggestions to be worthy of careful consideration

[Snarkridden]

Yes "Mr Stone" Thankyou for the reminder about Spirit of Eden by Talk Talk, a truly Stunning album indeed, one I used to listen to on boring train journies from London to home in the early 90's
I always found it stimulating, yet soothing.

"Spirit of Eden's potently eerie but beautiful aural textures is worlds apart from the bubbly synth-pop hits— Talk Talk and It's My Life"

What a change, indeed, and no wonder the musical industry didn't understand it... Do they EVER really understand their products anyway?

Now I must search a copy, my walkman tape has long gone..

Snark..

[greatdj1]

You also might want to check out Arid as well....I fell in love with the music after the Haunted House movie...

[Ramona_A_Stone]

Three albums by another favourite band: THIS MORTAL COIL

It'll End in Tears: voices, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, cello, violin, viola, accordion

Filigree and Shadow: voices, piano, sax, guitars, bass, cello, violin, viola

Blood: voices, (chamber) string arrangements, cello, violin, piano

Including synths, drum programming, and loops in a seamless mix with the acoustic instruments. Emotionally wrenching songs. Some of the most beautiful female voices in modern music, including Liz Fraser (Cocteau Twins) and Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance) among others. Breathtaking string arrangements. (especially the last two albums) Check out Velvet Belly/The Jeweller or Tarantula for examples, or I Must Have Been Blind, a minimalist masterpiece held together by a golden thread of beautifully processed cello. (all from Filigree and Shadow)

[Snarkridden]

Quoting...

Filigree and Shadow: voices, piano, sax, guitars, bass, cello, violin, viola

Blood: voices, (chamber) string arrangements, cello, violin, piano

Managed to get most of the Filigree & Shadow, so far seen "Blood" but been unlucky getting a download to start...?

First listen, suggests some similarity to Spirit of Eden (TT) but due to the strange way the mastering whiz-kidd has added the track markers, continuity isn't good and the ripper has made no effort to group the tracks together.

I'm not impressed, at the moment, OK some spectacular sounds in there, but not up to the TT standards... My Opinion of course.

It could grow on me, I suppose, like Eden, that took a few plays.

Snark..

[Ramona_A_Stone]

Well, about the only real similarity between This Mortal Coil and Talk Talk is the fact that their albums suck when ripped into mp3s. (as most continuous albums do--there are very few natural pauses on Filigree and Shadow)

I would say that they probably will grow on you however if you experience the albums as a linear whole, as they are obviously meant to be.

If you'd like to hear something that actually does bear some resemblance to late period Talk Talk however, I might suggest Rain Tree Crow, a beautiful album featuring David Sylvian and most of the ex-members of the 80s group Japan.

[naz]

theres some application out there that rips albums as one mp3, i got a few pink floyd albums ripped like that

unfortunately the name of this wonderful application escapes me