Bright Yellow Bright Orange

At first listen, the second album from this re-constituted band led by Grant McLennan and Robert Forster didn’t impress. But later, at a quieter time, its worth became a lot more apparent – which might just be part of the reason why the Go-Betweens never cracked the Top 40 despite producing music of high melodic fibre. Their songs have a way of becoming indelible, but only after a time.

Think back to the likes of ‘Streets Of Your Town’ and ‘Bachelor Kisses’ from their heyday, and included on their ‘Best Of’ collection. As Forster points out in that album’s sleeve notes, they were perhaps “too good for the bloody charts.” Be that as it may, they’re just not everybody’s cup of tea.

However, Bright Yellow Bright Orange has a sunny disposition that sits easily, like sunlight on a wooden floor, and a quiet beauty that never pushes its presence. There are no particular stand-out songs; rather, they all fit together to make an overall picture. That said, the opening cut ‘Caroline And I’ is a pretty good indicator of what it’s all about: mid-tempo songs of everyday existence and observations, built around guitar, voice, solid bass and drums, plus the added warm textures of keyboards and strings.

The Go-Betweens will never be the next big or small thing, they’ll just carry on making great music.