Fifteen years after Tears For Fears’ last collaboration — 1989’s classic The Seeds Of Love — I did not expect a solid, full-on post-Beatles baroque pop collection from Curt and Roland. By all means, call it a comeback. The title track served as opener:

Would it help to mention that we’re further from Everybody Loves A Happy Ending now than that album was from Songs From The Big Chair? Yeah, probably not.

Distract yourself with the formidable combination of writing, and performance in “Call Me Mellow”. Or the quiet, multilayered melodic drama turned to rock/orchestra anthem in “Who Killed Tangerine”. Or “Secret World”, which makes it really difficult to not use words like “glorious” if you’re into lush pop/rock.

Now we know that Everybody Loves A Happy Ending‘s title is not a harbinger after all. But in 2004, there was no guarantee of anything afterward. I’m glad it didn’t have to fill the role, but ELAHE would have been an unusually fine, quite consistent send-off to a partnership that has never sacrificed quality for quantity.

(See other Albums That Surprised Me.)