The highly esteemed songwriter from the legendary The Go-Betweens, Robert Forster, probably needs no introduction – he is a national treasure. Forster has just released his eighth solo album ‘The Candle And The Flame’ and it is unsurprisingly a beautiful and stately release befitting his stature.
The album is deeply imbued with a romantic blush – there is a poignancy and bittersweet thread interweaving the album as Forster seemingly reflects on the vicissitudes of life and the temporal nature of existence, absent of the often wry and cynical approach in his earlier work. Very much a family affair (including contributions from Louis Forster from the late great The Goon Sax), this has a feel of something reflective and melancholy yet antithetically filled with a certain optimism.
The first two track capture this exquisitely. The story behind the opening track ‘She’s A Fighter’ is eye wateringly beautiful and deeply personal. Forster explains in his usual self-deprecating and humorous style:
‘She’s A Fighter’ is the last song I wrote for ‘The Candle And The Flame’ album. I wrote the music for it in June 2021. I liked the tune and the quick energy of the song, but I didn’t know yet what it was going to be about.
In early July, Karin Bäumler, my wife and musical companion for thirty-two years, received a cancer diagnosis. In late July, with a series of chemotherapy sessions about to begin, Karin talked of fighting for her health and a path through chemotherapy to recovery.
The phrase, ’She’s A Fighter’ came to me.
I liked it. And I knew immediately that it would work with my new melody. I needed just one other line for the lyric. ‘Fighting for good.’ The song was finished. I had written my first two-line song. I had just out-Ramoned The Ramones!
Because the song has so much meaning to us, we decided to record it as a family. The only time this happens on the album. Karin sings and plays xylophone. Our daughter Loretta plays electric guitar. Our son Louis plays guitar, bass and percussion. And I strum an acoustic guitar fiercely and sing.
The song races along with a circular motion and Forster’s voice both soft and powerful, celebratory and proud as he sings she’s a fighter, fighting for good. The music is laced with raw acoustic sounds pushing forth rousing riffs. ‘Tender Tears’ is tender and melodic, again reflecting on a powerful relationship, referencing his meeting his love in Heidelberg – repeating the phrase see how far we’ve come into the outro.
‘It’s Only Poison’ has Forster’s archetypal tone – wry and amused – with gorgeous backing singing adding a silky lustre and a flowing aquatic acoustic guitar solo. Arpeggiated guitars frame ‘The Roads’ and Forster’s descriptive poetic lyrics remember times past like a travelogue where roads reflect the journeys taken and adventures experienced.
The amusingly titled ‘I Don’t Do Drugs I Do Time’ has a jaunty high stepping lilt, again touched with a romantic tinge – a song mixing recollections of the past with a sense of anticipation and fear about the future.
Reverberated electric guitars carry ‘Always’ with another dedication to a loved one: I’ve been thinking about you – always, at the edge of financial ruin interested in what other people are doing – always. The harmonies give the song a bright sheen.
Forster returns to the overall theme of the passage of time in ‘There’s A Reason To Live’ – a found objective recalling past experiences that form your present self. The optimism shines clear in Forsters observant style. ‘Go Free’ – nothing ever lasts where it’s supposed to be – similarly nods to the transience of existence and the passage of time in a delicate acoustic style, written about the COVID lockdowns.
The final track ‘When I Was A Young Man’ captures in its title the essence of the album – memory, recollection and time.
Forster says of the writing of the album:
We started to strum songs at night to unwind after a big day, and Karin knew them because I had written them in the house. When you are concentrating on a song the rest of life goes away, and music became a beautiful escape hatch for us.
The album provides the same comfort for the listener.
‘The Candle And The Flame’ is a gracious and beautiful album. It feels almost like a farewell – filled with poignancy about the past and a resolution and acceptance about the future, expressed in Forster’s poetic eloquence without any of the wryness or cynicism of the past. It feels like Forster at the very top of his artistic powers with a collection that is consistent in quality and emotional strength. The album is available to download and stream everywhere and through the link below through Tapete Records.
Robert Forster is planning shows both in Australia and abroad in 2023 with dates to be announced soon. He is currently writing a novel and preparing the release of Volume 3 of The Go-Betweens Boxset series, ‘G Stands For Go-Betweens.’
Feature Photograph: Stephen Booth
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