Vale Grant McLennan

Grant "GW" McLennan, guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and effectively half of legendary Australian band The Go-Betweens is dead.

He died in his sleep in his home in Brisbane on Saturday 6 May.

Some said when McLennan and Robert Forster (also guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and effectively the other half) reformed The Go-Betweens at the start of the noughties it wouldn't properly be The Go-Betweens without Amanda Brown, Lindy Morrison, Robert Vickers or John Wilsteed.

Well, the death of GW effectively clinches it. There ain't no way they're re-forming now.

The first time that I heard Cattle and Cane (which is one of my nominations for Aussie-est song ever), my jaw dropped.

It appeared to be in 10/4 for a start.

Also, there was this urgent guitar that drove the song. Not bad considering the fact that the guitar work was acoustic.

I had no idea what McLennan was singing about in this tune - it's one of those dreamy tunes where the words are totally unimportant. Which is the sign of any good tune.

It also had this kind of eerieness to it. Very unusual.

Mind you, the vocal tracks to Go-Betweens tunes were always mixed right down with the other instruments.

It doesn't matter. He will be missed. Rest in Peace.