Robert Forster’s latest work The Candle and the Flame is a great example of the whisper concept. His well-documented years with The Go-Betweens and various solo projects showed a penchant for well-produced jangly rock with a nod to traditional folk music. Not to lump his discography into a “loud” category but for the purposes of comparison – in the old days it was more like yelling. 

The Candle and the Flame – Forster’s recent release – was written and recorded over several years and features musicians including former Go-Betweens and Warm Nights bass player Adele Pickvance as well as Scott Bromiley and Luke McDonald.

 

The songs have much more of a singer-songwriter feel than that of a whole band.

Whispering motifs aside, the songs have much more of a singer-songwriter feel than that of a whole band. Which makes a lot of sense given the context: Robert’s wife and musical collaborator for three decades Karin Bäumler was diagnosed with cancer in July 2021. “She’s A Fighter” is the lead-off track and lyrically aimed at Karin’s plight. Built around a repeated acoustic guitar theme, the recording features not only Forster but Karin on xylophone and vocals as well as children Loretta and Louis rounding out the rest of the instruments. Focusing the energy on the music (and the players) the song features only two sung lines:

“She’s a fighter,

A fighter for good.”

In Robert’s own words: “I had written my first two-line song. I had just out-Ramoned The Ramones!”