Robert Forster: The Candle and the Flame Album Review
Robert Forster: The Candle and the Flame Album Review
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!”
Other standout tracks include “The Roads” and “I Don’t Do Drugs I Do Time.” “The Roads” is a spare acoustic tune that meanders and reminisces about his time living in Germany where Forster relocated after the breakup of the Go-Betweens. The gradual addition of instruments – in particular strings – brings to mind “Nightswimming” era REM and the wistful but happy remembrance of times gone by.
“I Don’t Do Drugs I Do Time” is a Lucinda Williams-esque romp of a duet with Karin. A bit of stomp and holler you might hear at open mic night, the tune is nostalgic at the same time as it looks ahead. Sung to each other, it is a deeply personal look at (a pair of) lives well-lived and loved. Think of it as a modern interpretation of The Beatles’ “Two of Us” and sing along the same way.
photo by Stephen Booth
While early Go-Betweens record titles all featured words with double Ls (Send Me a Lullaby, Before Hollywood, Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express) – presumably based on Louis and Loretta – The Candle And The Flame foregoes the double L but splits them up. Take it how you like but the candle and the flame imagery: fuel and fire – begs the question “can you have one without the other?” Writing and recording a personal and devotional record during a time fraught with concern and unknown outcomes, writing about and recording with the ones you love makes a lot of sense. May the family circle remain unbroken.
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