I recently found this gem from way back in my collection. I remember playing it
quite a bit in 1991. It hasn’t aged at all; if anything, it seems even more
powerful than it did back then.
Reviewer Jason Ankey talks about it:
Virtually ignored upon its initial release, Laughing Stock continues to grow
in
stature
and influence by leaps and bounds. Picking up where Spirit of
Eden left off,
the album operates outside the accepted sphere of rock to create music that is
both delicate and intense. Recorded with a large classical ensemble, it defies
easy categorization, conforming to very few structural precedents. While the
gently hypnotic ‘Myrrhman’ flirts with ambient textures, the percussive
‘Ascension Day’ drifts toward jazz before the two sensibilities converge to
create something entirely new and different on ‘New Grass.’ The epic ‘After the
Flood,’ on the other hand, is an atmospheric whirlpool laced with jackhammer
guitar feedback and Mark Hollis’ remarkably plaintive vocals. It flows into
‘Taphead,’ perhaps the most evocative, spacious, and understated piece on the
record. A work of staggering complexity and immense beauty, Laughing Stock
remains an under-recognized masterpiece, and its echoes can be heard throughout
much of the finest experimental music issued in its wake.