Wonderfully Pleasing

Last week, I spent much of my time in the car listening to "The Friends of Rachel Worth," the Go-Betweens' comeback album from 2000. Two friends prefer the band's records from its first phase, through the 1980s, and while I've never listened much to those, I have to say "The Friends of Rachel Worth" is such a wonderfully pleasing record.

As I wrote several years ago about David Kilgour, the former lead singer of the Clean, who has a similar career path as the Go-Betweens -- both are relatively obscure groups from the southern hemisphere (one Australia, the other New Zealand) who chugged through the indie scene for two-plus decades -- records like "The Friends of Rachel Worth" aren't made much anymore. There is nothing about it that cravenly seeks the spotlight or tries to capitalize on the latest Internet-driven indie fad that will fade within seven months. There are no signs of an A&R executive's fingerprints on the sound, prompting the band to adulterate itself in the hope of a successful single.

Of course, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, the G0-Betweens' co-leaders (the latter died unexpectedly a couple of years ago), probably would've preferred to make money from their records, but they should always be proud of making music that sounds natural, winsome and wholly comfortable with themselves. The structures and chord progressions seem effortless and are thoroughly charming and enjoyable. There's "Surfing Magazines," which is pretty much about reading surfing magazines, though "Going Blind" sounds a lot more like the song you would dance to on your surfboard. "German Farmhouse" has a somewhat ridiculous reference to Pavarotti in a lyric. "Heart and Home" is so great and sounds like the Muppets could cover it. (I mean that as a compliment.)

Also worth noting, "The Friends of Rachel Worth" is one of only two Go-Betweens albums not to employ a double-l in its title. Does anyone know who Rachel Worth is? I sure don't.