You wouldn't buy a used car from Peter Milton Walsh. He's too good with words, too sly with a hook. The Apartments' main ingredient, Walsh writes songs in a word-drunk style that suggests he would like nothing better than to twist your logic and have his way with you. "Thank You for Making Me Beg" – yeah, sure. Unlike so many others who think their gift of gab will be enough to convince you, however, Walsh sets his strained analogies and metaphors to music that's both catchy and morose, so you're sure to feel the inevitable tug at the heartstrings while humming along in your head.

On foreign shores, Walsh is a familiar figure; his songs have been covered by the likes of the Chills, Everything but the Girl and This Mortal Coil. The sad fact here is A Life Full of Farewells is the first American release for this Australian group. But what a powerful introduction!

Supported by Eliot Fish on bass and Mark Dawson on drums, along with an array of string, piano, pedal steel and trumpet players, Walsh assembles the sort of ornate pop record one usually associates with big-budget psychedelia or overstudied Anglo pop. Clutter and quirkiness often muddle such complex proceedings, yet the Apartments' finishing touches are applied sparingly, so one can still find the kitchen sink at will. Instruments are brought in to emphasize subtle changes in mood, like the happy-sad trumpet of "Some Things Will Keep" or the yearning pedal steel of "You Became My Big Excuse," while broken love remains the backdrop for every mood shift.

Only on rare occasions do the troubled lyrics overtake the gentle melodies – breaking the butterfly on an overactive wheel. For the most part, Walsh's songs enable listeners to enjoy time spent in places we would usually rather not be. (RS 711)

ROB O'CONNOR