Zero 7 cover Mark Hollis of Talk Talk's "The Colour of Spring" (feat. Only Girl) [Premiere]

I loved Garden State. I guess I should be embarrassed by that, given the retrospective vitriol that accompanied its tenth anniversary last year, but I’m not; I was newly seventeen, and my tastes were not (and, arguably, still aren’t) what would be called refined. More importantly, I loved the Garden State soundtrack. It was a Beginner’s Guide to Bands You Should Know, a thirteen song collection that eventually came to define “indie” for a new generation of music fans. It also did exactly what Natalie Portman promised: it changed my life.

The soundtrack was my first encounter with Cary Brothers and Colin Hay, sure, but it also served as an entrée into an exciting and previously undiscovered world of electronic music. To seventeen-year-old me, "electronic" meant the big beat sounds of Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, or the drum and bass of artists whose names I didn’t yet know. I had never heard anything quite like Zero 7’s “In The Waiting Line”; it was a loungy, downbeat revelation and it led me on a long, thrilling road that led me to Aphex Twin, Little People, Bonobo, Caribou, Washed Out… the list goes on and on.

In other words, I feel a debt and a great deal of gratitude to Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. They must feel the same way about Talk Talk, because “The Colour of Spring” is a loving, careful cover of the Mark Hollis solo highlight. Originally appearing on the 2012 tribute album Spirit of Talk Talk, it’s a hazy take that fleshes the spare original out in a respectful manner, never obscuring its simple beauty.

The duo say: "Back in 2012 we were asked to contribute a track to an album of Talk Talk covers that was being made to raise money for a very worthy charity called BirdLife. With some trepidation we agreed and chose the Mark Hollis track 'Colour of Spring' from his solo album.

This was, and always will be a foolish idea. I'm not sure what Mr Hollis would make of our version but we're grateful to him for being open to the idea (despite his better instincts, i'm sure). And more importantly, we thank him and Talk Talk for their wonderful music.”

The 12" vinyl will be released March 30th. The EP will be available for digital download April 13th.