The Be Good Tanyas – Hello Love – Nettwork

There seems to be some controversy about how to categorise the music of the Be Good Tanyas, as they’ve been labelled as folk, blues, bluegrass, alt country and Americana. I guess the truth is that there’s something of all these genres in their output, though I remain unsure about the difference between alt country and Americana. Controversy may be too strong a word, come to think of it, as nobody seems too bothered, wisely preferring to listen to the music instead.

But then the music isn’t likely to get you too worked up, either. It’s all slow, dreamy and beautifully played, ranging from the traditional, like What Are They Doing in Heaven Tonight, through John Hurt’s Nobody Cares for Me, on which Jolie Holland makes an appearance as a former band member, to Neil Young’s For the Turnstiles and the Tanyas’ own songs. I think the dreaminess is part of the problem, coupled with their quiet, slurred delivery that makes it hard to make out the words. I’ve enjoyed the album every time I’ve played it, rather like a walk on a familiar beach – you’re glad you went but you didn’t see or hear anything new.