For a band that is sufficiently
popular in their native country to have their faces in the
Australian National Portrait Gallery they have received precious
little acknowledgement elsewhere in the world. Largely this
can be blamed on the band dissolving in 1990 in the face of
more than a decade's worth of apathy from mainstream record
buyers. The core of the band, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan,
decided to work on solo projects just as REM were about to
achieve global dominance with Go-Betweens style virtuoso guitar
pop. Both bands also shared a fixation with movies and the
US punk scene, particularly The Velvet Underground. Like their
American counterparts, punk influenced The Go-Betweens attitude
and refusal to make artistic compromises much more than the
style of their music.
Despite missing their chance to grab hold of REM's commercial
coat-tails Forster and McLennan played a handful of acoustic
shows together in the late 90's before completing a successful
world tour in 1999. The reunion was cemented the following
year with the release of 'The Friends Of Rachel Worth', an
album that continued the critical acclaim of their earlier
releases.
The follow-up album, 'Bright Yellow Bright Orange', containing
familiar timeless melodic guitar pop, will undoubtedly earn
the Go-Betweens more glowing praise and commercial indifference.
The carefree mellow instrumentation contrasts with the wry
and careworn lyricism that has become a band trademark. A
good example is the jauntily fanciful Dylanesque 'Too Much
Of One Thing', which is lyrically grounded by the faint air
of fatigue "When I rise in the morning / It's as if I've
walked a hundred miles." Other highlights include album
opener 'Caroline and I' with its glorious Big Star power pop
and 'Mrs Morgan' which sounds like the sort of song Lou Reed
was writing at the start of his solo career.
The band are touring the U.K. at the end of April with support
from Goldrush, who alongside Travis, The Cosmic Rough Riders
and many others are testament to the enduring influence of
the Go-Betweens. It is perhaps unlikely to happen but 'Bright
Yellow Bright Orange' deserves to get the Go-Betweens a share
of the commercial spoils enjoyed by their many imitators.
Gavin Eves
