Over the past summer we were thrilled to have Ivy communicate to us their desire to be a part of "Love Goes On," our tribute to Grant McLennan. They provided us with an exclusive remix of their cover of "Streets of Your Town," one of The Go-Betweens' unassailable greats, written by Grant. "Streets" is a casual rush of swirling sound and poignant lyrics. Musically this was very nearly the epitome of the commercial pop side of the Go-Betweens; Grant must have felt it at least had a decent shot at the charts. The music is immediate. But there's something a little dark and sinister at play – a hidden backdrop of uneasiness permeates the gorgeously sung words. If you heard this song only once you'd be hard pressed to forget it, due mainly to a guitar break that just melts its way into your mind; the sheer sonic beauty of it may startle. Given the pristine production that anchors this song to a cloud, it should have raised the band's profile considerably. It didn't, of course, and the Go-Betweens were soon to call it day. As Grant himself once said, "although we work with melody, we sometimes work against it, and that's one of the cardinal sins of pop music. People often mistake subtlety or reticence for naiveté. If people do that, then it's quite pathetic. You just can't have those two qualities if you want to be in the charts, so that's our dilemma."
We have been fans of Ivy since we saw them open for Edwyn Collins back in 1995. Dominique has one of the most exquisite voices in pop. She captures the spirit of the song with an icy precision and yet manages to inject a dose of thinly-veiled optimism into it. Ivy's take manages to pull you in, without calling attention to itself. The song is truly a slice of majestic beauty. It could be a sequel to "Cattle and Cane" - an homage to Grant's hometown of Brisbane where he was born, and where he left this earth. "Streets of your Town" is the 80's indie anthem that lingers; your heart will be healed, or blessed.
Drink it in.
David James,
Rare Victory
October 7, 2007