Talk Talk - After The Flood

Laughing Stock is considered to be of the first post-rock albums. I see it more as a sparse post-rock outline, albeit a very good one. Either way, it’s a massive departure from the synth pop of their early albums.
Laughing Stock should be played from start to finish, preferably late at night. The exception is the song After The Flood which I can play anytime of the day. It glides along with a hypnotic laid back organ riff and then sores up in the chorus with Mark Hollis’ restraint but still intense vocal delivery.
Halfway through the nine minutes of the song there’s a one note solo that I believe is played on a wind instrument synthesizer called a Variophone. It sounds like nothing else that I’ve heard before as the note grows a life of its own and is trying desperately to stay in tune. Or desperately trying to wriggle out of tune.
Like in Neil Young’s Cinnamon Girl sometimes a one note solo is all the notes you need.

Download an mp3 of Talk Talk - After The Flood from here.