Friends of Rachel Worth
The Friends of Rachel Worth, the Go-Betweens' seventh album, arrives 12 years after the sixth. Though the interceding solo careers of songwritersRobert ForsterandGrant McLennanhave had their moments, all great partnerships are more than the sum of their parts, and it is to be hoped that this album encourages them to put their reunion on a permanent footing.The Friends of Rachel Worthwas recorded by Forster and McLennan in Portland, Oregon, withSleater-Kinneyfalling in as a backing band. All the virtues that characterized the Go-Betweens at their finest are still present: five songs each by Forster and McLennan, each one a small El Dorado of hearts and flowers. As ever, their styles are contradictory but complementary: McLennan's peerless knack for the understated, insidious melody anchors Forster's heroically overwrought posturings. In terms of the Go-Betweens' awesome back catalog, this contains the exuberant pop sense of16 Lovers Lane, the spare and evocative arrangements ofLiberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express, and the lyrical accomplishment ofTallulah. Ultimately, the best that can be said ofThe Friends of Rachel Worthis that it is worthy of being called a Go-Betweens album, and those in the know will know that praise can come no higher.--Andrew Mueller