Album Review: Robert Forster - Inferno

Robert Forster’s knack of diffusing music with his unique, otherworldly elegance took root in The Go-Betweens’ storied career and has blossomed into his increasingly substantial solo canon, the seventh instalment of which hones those sensibilities into a beautifully refined collection rife with gravitas and subtle sophistication.

Inferno is underwritten throughout by Forster’s laidback confidence: not only assurance in his deft songwriting chops, but also fervent belief in the versatile band assembled for the Berlin sessions, an unfettered trust in producer Victor Van Vugt (who engineered his 1990 debut Danger In The Past) and complete certainty in how these distinct roles converge and complement each other. It’s not an overly laboured affair – recorded quickly and efficiently in mostly live takes – but the results are spacious and precise, and sonically beyond reproach.

The breezy journey flows and meanders perfectly, with tracks like the sultrily lackadaisical No Fame, the surrealist sub-tropic fever dream Inferno (Brisbane In Summer) and languid love edict I’ll Look After You, to namecheck just a handful of these nine timeless songs. They each shine due to Forster’s inherent pop nous and ability to conjure lazy melodies and hooks at will, as well as a consummate vocal performance adding erudite character to this record's already abundant charm.