The Be Good Tanyas "Hello Love" (Nettwerk 2006)

Subtle, mellow and dark 3rd effort from renowned Vancouver threesome.

After the sheer fresh pop / bluegrass alt.glory of “Blue Horse”, “Chinatown” was a massive anti-climax, feeling like a directional stumble brought on by sheer uncertainty of how to follow up the serious critical adulation which had followed them everywhere in that wake of initial success. One of the reasons why “Hello Love” is so much more positive is that it feels as though the band have cast off expectations entirely, and decided to focus on writing new songs that follow their compositional instincts, as well as picking two covers (amongst others) which reflect their own highbrow / playful tastes and a determination to break genre walls at the same time as flaunting their righteous cultural relativism.

Whilst Sam Parton’s voice has all the melodic dynamics and pop suss that could be demanded, it also has a mildly gothic / testifying turn to it as well; the acoustic guitars, banjo and bass sit just below it in the mix, time either supportive or building and releasing tension around her almost Hewson-esque breathiness. “A Thousand Tiny Pieces” is a sleepy lament, reminiscent (sorry guys) of their ex-bandmate Jolie Holland, which is full of self-doubt and torment, yet expressed in a form which half from the nursery and half from the classic torch songbook.

“Hello Love”, down to its claustrophobic rain at the start, feels more like mountain music than anything here, coming over, despite its modernity and blues feel, as something as rock-old and sad as anything that came out of Sara Carter or Hazel & Alice’s mouths. As for those two covers- Neil Young’s “For the Turnstiles” and Prince Nelson Rogers’ “When The Doves Cry”, one can only sit mouth agape at the sheer funk-hard depressing perfection of the former, whilst on the latter, Parton kicks Wendy and Lisa’s collective ass from Vancouver to the Twin Cities over and over again. It’s a surprising tour de force of exceptional impact and quality, and well, you try getting through it without raging or crying.

“Hello Love” is perhaps best viewed as the album The Be Good Tanyas just made because they could- it feels like a rediscovery of their love for what they do, and a melding of their shiny pop instincts with their dark heart. How many buckets of vinyl it will sell is anyone’s guess, but in so many ways, it feels like a worthy successor to “On The Beach” in a way that so few artists have ever approached.

Date review added:  Sunday, September 24, 2006
Reviewer:  Mark Phillips
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Related web link:  Artist Website