Customer Reviews

Oceans Apart

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a huge fan of the Go-Betweens' '80s stuff since, well, the late '80s. But I drifted away from Forster and McLennan during the '90s, not paying too much attention to their uneven solo careers, and when the first reunion album came along, I didn't even check it out, though I did go see them live.

But I recently picked up the second reunion album, since I'd heard so many raves about it. It was good, but still not up there with their very best. And so now this new album. I must admit, the hype (MOJO rated it a "MOJO Instant Classic") lured me in, and I made sure I got a copy the day it came out. Listened to it three times in a row, and boy am I hooked. Forster is in rare form, and while the jury is still sort of out on McLennan (where is that melodic genius that displayed in the '80s and lost in the '90s?), as a whole the album is up there with their best. I need to give it a bit more time so that the McLennan songs sink in better, but I'm thrilled to have a record this challenging and engaging at this point in their career.

And I haven't even gotten to the bonus live disc yet!

The arrival of a new Go-Betweens album is always a hugely exciting event. For what its worth, I agree that this album fits best in the catalog of the Go-Betweens the first time around, more so than the latest two efforts. I'm one of a few, though, who regards Friends of Rachel Worth as one the better albums of the past few year, by anybody. As usual its best to first parse the record into Robert Forster's and Grant McLennan's numbers. RF contributes tracks # 1, 3, 6, 7 and 10. GM chimes in with # 2, 4, 5, 8 and 9. The balance between Forster's edgy and challenging songs and the jangling soft melodies of McLennan are still evident and it works well. RF's eclecticism is evident by a recent interview in which he named Pride and Prejudice, On the Road and Confederacy of Dunces as among his favorite books. Few albums have ever started off with the excitement of the first notes of Here Comes A City, and it manages to extend the headlong rush most of its 3:25. It deserves to become a major single and live show favorite, and has already been heard here in the US on satellite radio channels. It sounds like a train rushing headlong in the night through the outskirts of a city, which is what it purports to describe, prettied up with a killer, unforgettable guitar riff. The only downers in the song are that it could be longer and that it fades out with a whimper rather than a bang. I hope at some point we see an extended version of what is an instant classic and right up there with the best GB songs of all time. Another RF beauty is Darlinghurst Nights, which evokes all the pain and joy of the memory of leaving home and going to a strange new town. "And always the traffic, always the lights, climbing that hill star studded nights" evoke dead on memories of Sydney Eastern suburb nights. The Mountains Near Delray is a dirge and is my least favorite while Born to a Family evokes too many memories of other similar Forster melodies. But Lavender is another strong combo of melody and lyric, showing off Robert's great sense of humor. Grants songs are a mixed bag but Boundary Rider (the only song recorded in Brisbane, not London) is great (also too bloody short!) and could also be a great single. This Night's For You - while not exactly as kick ass as Neil Young's This Notes For You - is riveting when played loud. So this album was well worth the wait and like greeting an old friend, even if it hasn't pushed the boundaries too much. The huge and deserved buzz for Here Comes a City should guarantee some airplay for the album in Oz and abroad. The extra disc with six live songs is a nice but not essential bonus from a band who doesn't have much published live material (prior to the re-release of the older albums anyway ....).

A great record, one of the Go-Betweens' best. Melodic, heartfelt, urgent, with fantastic harmonies and compelling hooks. The opening track, Here Comes a City, is like a marvelous Talking Heads song rediscovered, the grand Darlinghurst Nights a sweeping paean to a lost time, every song on the record unique and wonderful. It's hard not to want to listen to this superb recording over and over. First-rate.

No nostalgia here, just objectivity. Very hard with McLennan's recent passing.

I found the last 2 LPs from the reformed duo: welcomed, eagerly anticipated, OK, perhaps I expected too much from the creators of one of my 5 D.I.D. LPs of all time. They were nice, but not over the top from this duo who has given us so much beautiful music over the years. Actually I hesitated to purchase this until the flood of great reviews forced my little lifeboat over the precipice of Niagra.

I popped it in on the way home from work on one of those early June evenings when the sun is alternately breaking thru the potentially dam busting summer shower skies in the mid atlantic USA. First track OK, nice chug. Nice mix. haven't heard this since "Was There Anything..." Urgent. Then the LP just unfolds in this cacophony of sunshine and gorgeous melodies from then on until the end. I was so stunned I called up friends and held up the phone and yelled do you remember the groove from these guys?

Me don't do this at my age no more. This is the most stunning LP I have heard in the past 5 years. This surpasses all your expectations in it's beauty, production, and sheer magnitude of its songwriting. It's like the way we ultimately want our musical friends to return when they've been away. The lads have been saving up for this. The first 2 reformed LPs I won't discount, but this time it's like "16 Lovers Lane" where they went for the brass ring... and they got it.

I have loved Grant's songwriting and sighed over his lyrics for so many years - group and solo. But on this LP, I finally tapped completely into Robert - every one of his songs is perfect here. "Part of a Family" is hilarious and could be the song for the rest of my life and for all those kindred souls who have come from wonderful wombs, but God knows why, we just gotta stretch out a bit. "Lavender" - just put this on in the summer with the window down, driving, thinking about an untamed lover you were just so damn lucky to have known once in your life.

I can't cry here. Have already. Get this. It's damn perfect. Mature. Immature. Silly. Heartbreaking. Breathtakingly beautiful. Has one of Grant's greatest songs on it ("Boundary Rider"). Has Robert emerging into incredibly more than confident songwriter mode.

Brass ring.

Robert, gold ring? I'll be there, mate.

Some find my views on the last two post-reunion Go-Betweens albums harsh, but my stance hasn't changed. To me, "Friends of Rachel Worth's" half-baked songs display little of the melodic beauty and uniqueness of the Go-Betweens' 80s work. Forster and McLennan may be different people in a different place, but `FORW' just doesn't work for me. "Bright Yellow Bright Orange" is a step up, with more mature and better-crafted songwriting (especially from McLennan, who really nails it with his strong set of tunes), but still isn't quite there. With "Oceans Apart," Forster and McLennan have come up with their best post-comeback album yet, tapping into key elements that made their 80s albums so great, without aping them. "OA" also displays an adventurous, forward-thinking streak due to the creative and thoughtful tinkering of producer Mark Wallis, who also produced the Go-Betweens' last 80s pre-break-up record '16 Lovers Lane.'

"OA's" songwriting is pretty consistent, and unlike "BYBO," I think Forster's tunes have the edge. The lush "Darlinghurst Nights," the infectious pop chug of "Born to a Family," the lilting, melodic "Lavender," and the gorgeous, shimmery "Mountains Near Delray," display the Go-Betweens' melodic sense in spades. The colorful, layered guitars, textured arrangements and reverb provide something "FORW" and "BYBO" lack: a sense of space and atmosphere. Wallis' production ensures that each song's melodic potential is fulfilled to the max. (He'd have done wonders for the last 2 albums).

McLennan seems less bent on hitting you over the head with catchy hooks this time, sounding more laid back, as on the soothing "There's No Reason" and "The Statue." But, other tunes, like the beautifully layered, Church-like "Finding You," the understated, acoustic-tinged "Boundary Rider," and the dreamy, melodic (but w/ fist-pumping chorus) "This Night's For You," won't leave your head without a fight.

Wallis' use of synthetic sounds is a new development, like synth bass in "There's No Reason," looped drums and synth washes in "The Statue," and subtle touches elsewhere. The Go-Betweens dabbled with these elements in the 80s, but in more subtle ways relegated to the background. Here, synths dominate a few songs enough to be pretty daring in the context of the Go-Betweens, who are usually known for their more guitar-based, organic sound. A bit weird, but for the most part Wallis makes it work.

My only gripe with "OA" is the badly over-compressed, LOUD mastering, which causes some songs ("This Night's For You," "Mountains Near Delray") to distort. The loudness/distortion is so glaring that it's unclear whether it was a flaky mishap or a deliberate (if ill-advised) artistic decision. The compression rids the songs of their dynamic, making everything LOUD. A sound suited for Radiohead, forced onto the Go-Betweens: a bit detrimental and inappropriate.

But, truly good songs shine through whatever horrid production/mastering excrement they've been soaked in, and most of OA's songs certainly do. For me, this is easily the most solid Go-Betweens' mark II album yet. They no longer sound like they're just playing it safe or offering up half-baked ideas rehashed from their solo albums. Here they've made a genuinely great album, unmistakably Go-Betweens in essence, but still fresh and vital.

The Go-Betweens were a critics' darling in the 80's, and broke up in 1988, only to get together with all but the original drummer in 2000. Their first two releases since they got together have been solidly above average, but lacking the flair of their previous work. Oceans Apart regains that flair. They just play...amazingly well together as a group, creating a sort of very immersive new-wavey atmosphere that signifies the possibility of getting another Go-Betweens album as good as their last pre-breakup album, '16 Lovers Lane' (Which I highly recommend, by the way). The only problem is...the songwriting sounds very forced at times. The vocals for any given song rarely cover more than half an octave, and they're all grouped together in the same trite, predictable pattern. Luckily, the instrumentation is so immersive that you enjoy the badly written songs regardless. Oceans Apart is among the stronger albums of the year, particularly if you like new-wavey pop/rock. If you liked the other post-reunion albums, Friends of Rachel Worth, and Bright Yellow Bright Orange, you'll probably like this one more.

No question, this is the Go-Betweens best or perhaps second best album (after 16 LOVERS LANE or LIBERTY BELLE), with stellar song after song. Unfortunately, the CD is mastered far too loud, with noticeable distortion(!) blanketing quieter tracks like "This Night's For You". Was the mastering engineer asleep at the switch? (This problem afflicts both the US Yep-Roc and UK Lo-Max releases).

As a result, I find myself listening to THAT STRIPED SUNLIGHT SOUND (recorded on the tour promoting OCEANS APART) far more often, but maybe someday someone at the label will wake-up and fix this disc. We can only hope.

This is an album that demonstrates a band that truly still has everything that got them here and more. With the subtle but rocking quality I've come to know and love from this band.
I first got into them by getting 16 Lovers Lane, that was sort of my departure from listening to the Cure, who are great don't get me wrong but for some reason I found The Go-Betweens to be a bit more genuine and actually never leaving me with a dull moment. Come on, let's be honest, you know you've skipped through quite a few Cure tracks in your time. There are moments in this album where the song is carrying you and you feel really mellow about the song then the breathtaking little changes sprinkled all over in such a way that the song really doesn't change at all. They find lyrically and with delicate touches on the strings and drums that if you pay more attention you just might learn something.

I'd never heard of the Go-Betweens before I got this album. I've never heard any of their old work. So I guess you could say my opinion of this album should be pretty objective. This album is just fantastic music.

The songs are all very mellow, heartfelt and moving. There's just something about these songs. Like I said before, I haven't heard their earlier work so I may delve into that now, the only reason I haven't yet is that I'm afraid to be disappointed that it isn't as good as this one!

...how can these guys walk amongst us? Nobody else is doing stuff this good...this is easily the best of their "comeback" albums, and ranks among their alltime best. Maybe falling just shy of "16 Lovers Lane". Their stuff manages to be incredibly moving and haunting, while avoiding the dread scourge of sentimentality - you won't get any on you, or have to hide this, like you do your Cat Stevens records when your too-hip-to-live friends come over. So, if you like super-poetic, super melodic, jangly pieces of post-modern pop art, pick this up. The 'Tweens won't let you down - they're way smarter, craftier, more talented and just plain better than any of the competition! Score one (actually, several) for the Antipodes...