Johnquest- #19, 1987 - TALLULAH by The Go-Betweens

TALLULAH | THE GO-BETWEENS

This one was a complete mystery to me. And not on the fun Bob Welch era Fleetwood Mac way. I had never heard of the Go-Betweens. Were they country? Folk? Rock? They looked acoustic. I didn't recognize their hits. They're on a compilation album of Aussie post-punk and alt rock. I didn't fully trust them. Nobody with album covers that shade of Brown uses electric instruments. My expectations going in were decidedly Triffids flavoured.

I was wrong in a lot of my assumptions. This is an album from the 1980s with violins in it. It's a little more acoustic than mbv, but it's also thoroughly enjoyable. They seem very content. I don't think they have an orchestra but it sometimes feels like one is there.

(for accuracy and conciseness’ sakes I'm only reviewing the twelve songs on the original album, not including the ones on the rerelease in 2004.)

OVERALL VERDICT:

This album has something for just about everyone. probably. Storytelling, poetry, sweeping late-80s soundscapes… Individual songs vary greatly but they all bring something to the table. There's varied but they're cohesive. Sometimes they're a little bit Hold Steady, sometimes a little bit Wool. They've got it all. They've got VIOLINS!!!

Still, I'm not sure I'll find myself coming back to this one- at least not as much as some other albums on this list.

TRACK BY TRACK:

1. Right Here introduces the album with just, delightful sound. It reminds me of rain by The Chills and not just because they're both about painful love (which I would argue, like, 25% of all songs are about)- the mixing just has that quality. Maybe it's an Australian thing? Who can say. I enjoy it anyhow. It feels wistful and hopeful. A third-or-fourth honeymoon phase kind of song. This couple hasn't even THOUGHT about the possibility of things going awry (in the future, at least.) And even if they're “old’ and jaded they're very sweet. It's nice.

2. You Tell me is the one that prompted that Hold Steady comparison. I'd argue it's also a little bit Bowie. Maybe a tad Modern Lovers too. It, like this album, has a lot of parts that differ, but which come together to make something mostly cohesive and decidedly nice. I worry my “bands/songs this reminds me of” list is bad. But this is also my website so I don't really care.

3. Someone Else's wife is mostly about what you think it's about. But it's also really fucking pensive? In a sense. I think there's an organ in there somewhere- it sounds GREAT if it is there. And the guitar, oh the guitar… It's truly an incoming thunderstorm of a song. You can hear the wind about to pick up in every word. And it sounds good too! And good on you for mostly respecting ms. Marriedlady, vocalist. At least you're self aware.

4. I just Get Caught Out has a beat that rocks. And vocals that rock. I’d hate to be either person in this relationship but the song makes you feel so good that you barely notice it. It's very danceable. Both of these people need a rest. And oh god the vocals. So sweet. Very nice. Very very nice. Has an air of biblicality to it. Or maybe it doesn't and I'm just stupid.

5. Cut it Out is another more rockin’ track. It feels straight out of… I don't know, not 1987. But it sounds very good. It's a beautiful song. It's kind of got two different things going on but they complement each other perfectly. There's a nice contrast there. I've not got much else to say. It's solid for sure.

6. The House That Jack Kerouac Built is, on the other hand, very late 80s. It is a desperate song and my god the tones it uses are perfect. I'm not sure I trust mr. Vocalist’s judgement (so what, she's a little new agey. She's fine. Probably.). Anyhow, it SOUNDS great. Almost buttertones-y. It's a paranoid song but it's a wonderful paranoid one.

7. Bye Bye Pride also has that 80s aussieness. This is something definable and there's probably a better term for it. We've got cancon, they've got… auscon? They probably don't have laws about stuff like us. This is probably my favourite on the album. It's GREAT. It's another VAST ONE. and god the backing vocals. The backing vocalists on this album can have my liver man. They're incredible. A veritable choir of angels

8. Spirit of a Vampyre uses that one spelling of vampire that, if the Scary Bitches have taught me anything, is always a mark of a good song. It's another storytell-y one. It's a hopeful one. It's about recovery from something or another. And love. Almost all of these are about love. People love writing songs about love. But the love in this one might be for a person and might also just be for life itself. Ain't that nice.

9. The Clarke Sisters is the most storytell-y song on the album. And it sounds great. It is a story set to pleasant acoustic guitar. It's not the kind of song I can imagine putting on to listen to. While it sounds nice it shines in storytelling. That's where the character is, the melancholy is. This is probably nice for some people but as much as I like good lyrics, I also really like solid instrumentals. This had those, but not nearly as much as I tend to like. It's not bad, the vocals are fitting. It's just not for me.

10. Hope then Strife is an excellent closer. It feels painful and final. The vocals- the backing vocals… ow, man, just OW. This one also has an incredible chorus. It's a good album, a good song. This song’s title kind of encapsulates the album. And it's also quite bittersweet. It's good.

If you like this EP, you might also like: THE CHILLS, WHALE MUSIC by RHEOSTATICS, or STICKTOITIVENESS by THE SUPER FRIENDZ

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