SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ROBERT FORSTER – THE CANDLE AND THE FLAME

Robert Forster
The Candle And The Flame
Tapete Records

The Go-Betweens, in both the band’s incarnations, were probably one of the best rock bands ever. That greatness was based on the songwriting and friendship dynamic between Robert Forster and late Grant McLennan.

Even during the period when the duo went separate ways, their creative capabilities never waned. Sadly, their reunion and its flourish were cut short by McLennan’s passing.

McLennan’s death had a profound effect on Forster, part of which was the passion and emotion that seemed to have doubled in his songwriting and recording, and live performances. And while the release of his new material became scarcer, its quality only seems to have risen.

That excellence exudes throughout Forster’s new album The Candle And The Flame. Forster already had a batch of songs ready back in 2021, but then, midyear, his wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and this only seemed to have further influenced not only Forster’s emotional state, but the brilliance of practically all nine songs on this album.

And yes, no matter what curve balls life throws at Forster, the quality of his songwriting only seems to go higher.

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