Very sad news out of Australia today. Grant McLennan from the Go-Betweens died at home in his sleep on Saturday. Official word comes from the Go-Betweens' web site. No other details were available.

I've long been a big fan of McLennan's work. I was mostly unaware of the Go-Betweens during the band's initial run, coming to McLennan's work instead through his first solo record under the name G.W. McLennan. I went back and picked up a greatest hits from the Go-Betweens, and found myself drawn to McLennan's work. His co-leader, Robert Forster, is no slouch, but I much prefered McLennan's breezy, pop songs to Forster's darker tunes. I kept up with McLennan's solo career during the Go-Between's hiatus, and jumped right back on board when they resumed recording together a few years ago.

Their latest, Oceans Apart, was on my best-of list for 2005, and while I haven't yet picked up the live set That Striped Sunlight Sound, every indication is that it is excellent as well.

It's rare that an artist can leave a band situation and continue to grow creatively as a solo artist, and rarer still for that initial band to reform and be better than ever. Given that McLennan made both seem so easy, it's safe to say that he will be missed.