Courtney Barnett, I like her

I'm late to the table on this, having ignored her until I happened to hear "History Eraser" on the radio the other day. But I really like the two EPs -- smart, scruffy, funny. So I figured she deserved a thread.

http://ic.f.tsatic-cdn.net/1290/635_340/d92ff_1290492.jpg

Your early-Liz-Phair comparisons here. (Tho Barbara Manning is just as apt. And/or the entire 1990-93 era.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6_G5PlEXdk

Talked about her on that Johnny Fever not pop not indie thread :

http://pitchfork.com/features/rising/9230-courtney-barnett/

Not sure what thread to use to talk about Aussie Courtney Barnett who likes Nirvana and the Go-Betweens

― curmudgeon, Friday, February 21, 2014 12:11 AM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

bump

― curmudgeon, Friday, February 21, 2014 2:57 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'm gonna give her a few more listens. Her DC gig got a nice Washington Post review.

― curmudgeon, Saturday, February 22, 2014 4:06 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol I should probably bookmark this thread so I see the new things

― Johnny Fever, Saturday, February 22, 2014 4:15 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Courtney Barnett just recorded an NPR Tiny Desk concert

― curmudgeon, Monday, February 24, 2014 7:20 PM (5 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Courtney Barnett is really cool but isn't she straight-up indie? Whatever indie means.

― Legendary Zing! Alum (seandalai), Monday, February 24, 2014 7:27 PM (5 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Probably, but I couldn't find an "Indie 2014" thread and didn't want to be the one to start one, since I'm no indie 2014 expert

― curmudgeon, Monday, February 24, 2014 8:29 PM (5 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Regretted playing shambala vigilante border patrol as soon as I posted, but yeah there should be a Rolling Indie 2014 thread.

It's not like I really know what belongs here anyway. Just listened to the Jaakko Eino Kalevi Dreamzone Remixes EP and this track jumped out at me, it's poppy but in a very meandering way:

http://noisey.vice.com/en_se/read/youneedtohearthis-listen-to-this-gorgeous-remix-of-finnish-mastermind-jaakko-eino-kalevi

― Legendary Zing! Alum (seandalai), Monday, February 24, 2014 10:20 PM (5 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

She is definitely straight-up indie whatever indie means. Which apparently I can still like sometimes.

The Liz Phair semblance I mentioned is really mostly in her guitar playing (as my wife observed) -- that slightly choppy, warm sound. Her voice is totally her own thing.

I'm still hearing a female take on Nirvana unplugged with a dash of Go-Betweens

Richards in the W. Post likes her lyrics (and guitar-playing too)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/courtney-barnetts-electric-deadpan-wows-at-dc9/2014/02/20/885e499a-9a38-11e3-80ac-63a8ba7f7942_story.html

The Liz Phair semblance I mentioned is really mostly in her guitar playing (as my wife observed) -- that slightly choppy, warm sound.

what i've heard so far of that slightly choppy, warm sound reads more cobain than phair to me, though i'm not sure the distinction makes any difference. but my favorite thing about her puts her squarely in kurdt's kamp: she's a lefty.

Avant Gardener was one icky favourite things from last year. The line where she describes the reaction of the ambulance driver to her occupation and her own subsequent reaction kills me every time

My favourite that is. Not icky at all.

I also love the repurposing of "All Shook Up" in that song.

I've only heard Avant Gardener but it was probably my favorite song of last year.

I compared "Avant Gardener" to not just Phair, but also Beck on my year-end ballot.

The only thing is I haven't heard anything else by her in the same league.

I like at least 3 other songs as much.

Oh yes? And those might be? History Eraser perchance?

Anyhow I will listen to all the songs some more myself.

Yeah "History Eraser," "Don't Apply Compression Gently" and "Are You Looking After Yourself" are all standouts to me on the first few run-throughs. I like most of the others, too.

Avant Gardener has gone from 'hmmm that's nice' to being my #1 springtime jam.

favourite bit is how she says she'd rather die than owe the emergency services til she gets old.

Thanks to ILM for tipping me to her, definitely one of my favorite new artists this year. I hear Paul Kelly in her lyrics/delivery and Velvet Underground-via-Yo La Tengo in the guitar squeals. Good stuff!!

http://thethousands.com.au/melbourne/hear/a-mixtape-by-courtney-barnett
Nice to hear a bunch of Kiwi stuff on this!

hmm not bad, save for teeth & tongue who i utterly despise

One day Street Chant might actually release a new record. It's all gone a bit Guns n Roses really.

I saw her the other week down here in end-of-the-world Hobart (also her home for a few years). I have never seen anyone have that much fun playing guitar. Not all the songs are top drawer, but when she's on, she's ON.

"Pickles from the Jar" is an extra track that's appeared on a couple of Milk Records compilations:

http://store.milkrecords.com.au/album/a-pair-of-pears-with-shadows-a-milk-records-compilation-2
Massive shout out to Hobart on there.

Her new upcoming album has a title, and it's not cryptic! :-o

• "Courtney album!

• "first taste of the new CB album sometimes i sit and think, and sometimes i just sit will be in your ears NEXT WEEK. keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitters for the announcement."

Aaaaahhhh the title is a quote from A.A. Milne, yeahIknewthat.

sweet!

I love the Double EP, high hopes for this.

Cool. Was happy to see she's on the Bonnaroo lineup, looking forward to seeing her.

New song sounds good. Pissed off and interesting. Sure you might say Dylan Nirvana hybrid but I don't think it is obvious enough to make it especially derivative. In other words it sounds like Courtney Barnett and that is very fucking fine.

Well ok then, nary a ripple on the ilx surface. This song is kicking me in the pants today.

I like Courtney Barnett too but the production on the new song is not my thing

i like her too.

wish the production was more aggressive and less indie though

I dig the new tune.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-nr1nNC3ds#t=46

This is a jam.

I like the EPs album, and this sounds great too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NVOawOXxSA

whoop

New song hits me harder than the previous one, quite looking forward to this album!

It's good, but I'm a little bummed that it's not all distorted and grungy like the previous one.

nah it's better

Anyone going to see her in London on the 10th of April?

oh man, i could well be tempted. my partner's also a big fan and it's her birthday week but we were planning on a trip to london earlier in the week anyway.

I'm going to the Cambridge gig on the 7th.

We might go to the Cambridge one instead

I hope the album is more like "Pedestrian" noisy thing

But I doubt it

http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/courtney-barnett-writes-all-the-best-songs/

Pedestrian is striking me as some weird cross between Institutionalized & Parklife. Good stuff.

Her turn of phrase is really quite cringeworthy - "give me all your money and I'll make some orgami honey", "now we've got that percolator, never made a latte greater". I like the grungy sound of the first track but her lyrics just put me in mind of some self-lampooning sadsack character from a Lorrie Moore short story, except no way near as funny or sad or charming or well-written as that would imply.

I love that line and her delivery.

She can kind of sound like the inside of your head when it's four am and you've been trying to sleep since midnight, tangential and ranty and frustrated. Personally, I find it hilarious and really interesting.

I really liked Avant Gardner, but to be honest Pedestrian reminds me a whole, whole lot of Magic Dirt's foray into Aussie rock/rap "Vulcanella" and I can't really get that out of my head and it's not an association I want to make.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjB71I9to30

http://www.thedwarf.com.au/live_review/20736/courtney-barnett-secret-gig

previewing a lot of stuff from the albumn.

New album is great, no sophomore slump!

hearing a lot of decent aussie indie stuff lately. its in good health. i really like courtney barnett, dick diver and ausmuteants. any other good aussie stuff people can hip me to?

I like Dollar Bar.
http://dollarbar.bandcamp.com/album/paddington-workers-club

if you don't mind things in a new ordery/kraut direction, black cab's 'games of the xxi olympiad' album is excellent

also i've been digging dorsal fins, living eyes (labelmates with ausmuteants iirc), pearls (if you avoid the 2 crappy glam tracks on their album the rest is v good shoegaze), babaganouj (only a couple of singles out, but brings back welcome memories of peak half a cow days)

xpost

also multiple man are fantastic, but that's more of an electro/post punk (DAF/Cabs) thing

Recent Twerps album isn't bad

*holds tongue*

?

Jim - thanks for those recommendations. It's just hard for me to hear young bands and think:
Multiple Man - holy shit, someone's been listening to "The Crackdown" over and over. Not in any way meant as a negative!
Dick Diver - completely filling the hole left behind by The Go-Betweens.
Ausmuteants - Devo obsessives.
Pearls - as you described, solid shoegaze.

Nothing new in any of these sounds, but I've got them all queued up for further investigation in Spotify.

Courtney is coming back to Boston in May, and it's already sold out. Glad I saw her last year!

Ha, I find Lorrie Moore super forced and unfunny, but I really like Courtney B. I will give LM another go though.

The other Aussie band I know and love, also doing a great job of redoing old stuff, is Total Control. They fought it out with Ausmuteants for my favorite album last year (and won).

Was surprised to find that Courtney had never heard of Lorrie Moore. Goes to show that some similarities that seem obvious are coincidental.

I didn't know she has a girlfriend. Not that that matters in any particular way, just wasn't aware.

A little disappointed to learn "Pedestrian" is the noisiest thing on the album, but I bet I will like the record anyway. I like "Depreston" a lot.

they do work up a racket a bit

wikipedia sez

Current

Courtney Barnett – vocals, guitar, songwriting
Bones Sloane – bass, backing vocals
Dave Mudie – drums
Dan Luscombe – guitar

is it her or lunscombe that's playing lead?

on Ellen @ 4PM today!

is it her or lunscombe that's playing lead?

on which recording or performance?

the album

think it's luscombe on the new stuff. he seemed to be the shreddy one when I saw the CB band late last year.

'depreston' has seated itself in my consciousness pretty solidly. don't love it but I do find myself singing it...

I thought she seemed nervous and performance a bit watery and uncertain on Ellen.

not a whole lot of opportunities to perform on aussie TV any more

RIP hey hey it's saturday

The Footy Show didn't book her?

footy season hasn't started yet!

she's been around for years, surely could have played half a dozen times by now

crowding out Craig McLachlan's return slot

saw her last night at sxsw. was surprised a bit at how much she rocked, I had seen a live review that cast her show in a more psychedelic tint. really liked the new stuff, and there were a couple of honest to god pop songs in there as well, which I can't wait to hear. 3-piece show last night, but it was a BIG sound, and while there are probably a ton of guitars on record, live she does a good job of balancing rhythm and lead duties. played history eraser, are you looking after yourself and avant gardener off the double ep, and I'm guessing the bulk of the new one, with the exception of depreston-which probably would have dragged the pace a bit last night. if pedestrian is the biggest rocker on the new one I'd be surprised.

Was it a big crowd? Feels like she's getting a lot of buzz right now, would expect sxswers to respond.

200-300 maybe? Monday nights are weird to judge a crowd by, because interactive is winding down and music hasn't kicked off fully yet (Weds.).
which makes Mondays ideal for people like me trying get into a buzz show without the buzz crowds.

The album is streaming right now via iTunes which I don't use, report back please

yeah, listening to it on iTunes radio. What a pile of crap iTunes radio is-how does a company with $170-odd billion dollars sitting around have essentially stock photos for its channels?
That’s the best it can do? A magenta 'pop' icon? I would listen to 'ShamROCK' radio for the laughs, but I'm afraid the joke's on me.

After a couple of listens, I tend to think 'Sometimes I Sit and Think' is at its best when it's least predictable. 'Small Poppies' and 'Kim's Caravan' bring to mind Crazy Horse/Meat Puppets, and Small Poppies in particular is riveting. When she finished it last night she announced that she was terrified of playing that song ("I used to hate myself but now I think I'm alright")-it's perhaps the unhinged answer to the same question that 'Pedestrian at Best' addresses. Or maybe it just has a lot of changes. The super pop song is 'Debbie Downer', where she delivers some of her most pointed comments into an arrangement that recalls the Lucksmiths. Great stuff. This dynamic is probably summed up best by the 2 singles, Pedestrian at Best and Depreston; the former sounds like something she could write in her sleep at this point, but the latter, with its gentle guitars and subtle organ is incredibly moving. Still, she likes to rock out, and she's good at it, so who can complain? Not a huge step forward, but given how many other recent bands have wilted (The XX, Best Coast, The Pains, ad nauseam) or barely remained in place in the glare of today's Pitchfork/Twitter/ILX (heh) media spotlight, it's enough.

Do I hate her because I am Australian?

Yes

Possibly a dumb question, but it needs to be asked: is "Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit" the new "Tuesday Night Music Club"?

(I like her album, I'm just feeling an "All I Wanna Do Is Have Some Fun" vibe somehow)

Eagerly awaiting a Soak Up the Sun about dying seals.

Raymond, I hear Sheryl Crow too.

Right? Just a tone of "detached, bemused semi-omniscient narrator" there on a lot of the songs, with a personal "in" at times.

can't unhear Sheryl Crow now, will have to embrace it as a positive

oh shit what have i done

Still think more Liz Phair than Sheryl, not least because part of Sheryl's thing was a certain amount of jadedness -- she was old for a new pop star when she broke -- and Courtney's POV is not at all jaded.

On first time all the way through, I like the album a lot. Not sold on the slow blues, but overall it's got good tunes, nice energy, and her vocals wear well for me. (That last will obviously be people's make or break with her.)

She played lead in various garage bands around oz before striking out on her own, so that might very well be her on the lead. even if it isn't she's got an ear for great guitar sounds.

hearing a lot of decent aussie indie stuff lately. its in good health. i really like courtney barnett, dick diver and ausmuteants. any other good aussie stuff people can hip me to?

― tayto fan (Michael B), Friday, 13 March 2015 11:54 (1 week ago)

NZ rather than Aus, but the Street Chant/Emily Edrosa axis of bands does that Flying-Nun-via-grunge thing p.well; ditto some of the Fishrider bands from Dunedin.

I've resolved to hear her as more Barbara Manning than Liz Phair, mainly because I want to like her.

Not sold on the slow blues

the soloing on that one is classical, sonny-rollins-esque levels of structure

I'm crediting her with some of the excellent guitar work.

the rhythm guitar is great too, so whoever does what, it's great all around

I've resolved to hear her as more Barbara Manning than Liz Phair, mainly because I want to like her.

I like both of them and some Sheryl Crow too. Maybe what Courtney mostly sounds like is somebody who grew up on all of that (plus Nirvana and Lemonheads etc). Anyway, I agree about her guitar playing, it has this very nonchalant flow -- like her vocals -- but then these unexpected textures and colorful spikes.

Tipsy, what slow blues? please don't say small poppies :)
Her vocals actually remind me most of Lou Reed.

she sounds like liz phair bc liz phair was aiming to sing like a dude iirc
CB sings like a dude too!

i mean that in the best possible way

The percolator line is the only thing that's put me off slightly so far. Otherwise this is nice.

She was very good at the launch party last night, despite being obviously annoyed by the lacklustre crowd.

Tipsy, what slow blues? please don't say small poppies :)

Yeah, "Small Poppies." But when I say "not sold," it could grow on me. Most of the album is so immediate that that one has tried my patience in comparison. Maybe seeing her play it live will change my mind.

Elevator Operator is amazing!

she's ok, but way overrated imo

The album is definitely too mild for me. Figured there would be more fuzz pedals.

i like the album but i wish more of it sounded like "pedestrian at best"

The album bloomed as soon as I realized the guitar and attitude were closer to Sheryl Crow than Liz Phair.

i checked out her collection of eps last year (thought it was an album until now) after enjoying a one-off song i heard, but was kinda disappointed. the title and cover of this one are both supremely offputting

welp that's sorted then

re: dude singing

Yeah, she really reminds me of Reed and Cobian, not just in the chord progressions and imagery, but also the way she builds an aggressive persona around feeling weak and ineffectual. Also the way she make the music pretty when you're looking for noise, and noisy once you're getting comfortable with the jangle.

I seem to playing Aqua Profonda the most. I like that track.

She doesn't seem perturbed that the person next lane over apparently left her to drown.

her singing is talky but there are also lots of people talking in the songs, the climax of elevator operator is even when the elevator operator talks back

like 1 in every 3 links/headlines/tweets i've seen on the internet this week includes the words "Courtney Barnett"

Good for her! She was very humble and self-deprecating when I saw her last year.

Yeah her persona feels very low-key (dunno where bendy gets "aggressive" from). Not my #1 favourite album of the year but it's very solid and if she blows up/becomes "the next" Sheryl Crow I'm happy for her.

What Alfred said. I've been thinking a lot about why I like this album and when I think it's because she's closer to Sheryl Crow than Liz Phair.

yeah, i knew that would come off snarky/negative, but i'm stoked for her. love her and her music. she rules. but man she is seriously buzzing right now

Aggressive isn't the word for it, yeah. But I get a lot of pent-up emotion and defiance beneath her laconic delivery.

shout out to anyone else who rides the 96 to work; kinda decided i loved the album after she dropped that line

i like the whole thing but "pedestrian at best" stands way out to me. i get that her appeal is as a lackadaisical chronicler of the quotidian but when her delivery is louder and fiercer and more like that of an inspired pulpiteer she becomes way more exciting to me (i mean, way to make lines like "I'm a fake / I'm a phony / I'm awake / I'm alone / I'm homely / I'm a Scorpio" sound like gospel)

just realised i already posted about how much i love "pedestrian at best" about 30 posts ago, sorry all

Wow, this is good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqP3ICzc7eg

"Numbers stand for routes of buses" as an argument for the importance of numbers :D

i used to take the 96

didn't see CB on there tho

this new album is great, thank u ILM

i must confess, i've made a mess of what should be a small success

^^

i like her a lot

pretty great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKQ5P7vBIwc

cambridge show was fun, although shame we had to leave early to catch a train :-/

Among the things I do now is perform a bar quiz every Wednesday evening. One of the nicest parts of the gig is I get to play music from my library when I'm not reading questions or answers. Last night I got into the sound system early and treated my patrons to the first three tracks from Sometimes I Sit... I walked around the place to make sure the speakers were working, and to hear those songs coming out loud and clear in a suburban Texas yuppie bar felt so damn good.

"she looks him up and down with a botox frown"

really looking forward to (slowly) learning the lyrics on this album, she is so good

this was #1 on my CMJ Core station last week

… with death

More raucous live, with slightly quieter moment being solo encore take on You Am I's "Heavy Heart." They also did a sloppy fun take on Breeders "Cannonball"

For those who thinks she sounds like Sheryl Crow, Sheryl would put her fingers in her ears for much of the set and head out quickly if she ever saw Courtney live. Much more Nirvana-eque

yeah i remember her being a lot rockier live than on record

I don't think you're giving Sheryl Crow much credit, curmudg.

The frequent Sheryl Crow comparisons make little sense to me either, though the (as frequent) ones to Nirvana are only a bit more understandable. Likely this is because so much of what defines Barnett, for me, is her off-kilter phrasing, and I don't here any such analog in either Crow or Cobain.

She's closer to the pop side of the spectrum, which is why she's more fun than Nirvana.

Mostly it's the "All I Wanna Do" conversational phrasing that overlaps between the two. And that, in the same way that Vampire Weekend reached college kids who heard Graceland in the car in their first years, now it's Tuesday Night Music Club infants reconnecting with that style.

otm

Huh. Didn't even think of "All I Wanna Do" (mostly because I try not to ever think of that song). But yes, otm indeed.

hoping she goes for a Globe Sessions vibe on this one.

*on the next one.

So she'll solicit an unheard Dylan song?

and date Don.

I like her weird noun-verb compounds (or whatever you want to call this).

"Fair evades his way down the 96 tram line"

"Headphone wielding to the Nicholas building"

"Big business overtaking, without indicating"

Dog latin and I were emphasizing that LIVE she is much more rock than pop. She speeds her tunes up, mumbles the words, and puts her guitar near the amp shaking it and creating feedback. As far as I can tell, Crow doesn't do that. I also don't think Crow has ever covered the Breeders "Cannonball".

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/06/14/australian-guitarist-and-singer-courtney-barnett-gets-grungy-and-gnarly-at-930-club/

But onstage Saturday, the first of two sold-out nights at the 930 Club, Barnett and her band were more gnarly and grungy than sly and subtle. Barnett’s electric guitar tangled with bassist Bones Sloane and drummer Dave Mudie in a hour-long set that channeled burly 90’s alt-rock as much as it followed up on the buzz surrounding her latest album.

If I were to trace the influence of "All I Wanna Do" on popular music, I'd locate it more within the realm of "bro country" than Barnett. Like, I get where she got the conversational phrasing from the earlier song (as Easy ID'd above), but her phrasing is a lot knottier than Crow's. And her words are infinitely less banal.

Mostly it's the "All I Wanna Do" conversational phrasing

great comparison... and also a little disturbing

y'all are way too sensitive about this comparison

Eh, not being sensitive. Just wondering why this awesome, punkish, wordy new record that I like keeps getting compared to Sheryl Crow.

Like, I *really* could not fathom it until today's discussion, and now I'm just like, "oh, *that's* why!"

I was thinking her studio voice was more Liz Phair than Sheryl, but whatev.

A Sheryl Crow comparison is a compliment!

Though I do loathe "All I Wanna Do," I'm by no means a Sheryl hater--I owned the self-titled once upon a time. It was just puzzling to me to see that this was the comparison that was coming up most often w/r/t this record (and as I mentioned above, I don't wholly get the Nirvana one, either).

Watching left-handed guitarist Barnett turn and twist with her axe, slur her vocals and crank up the noise last night reminded of Nirvana; plus even a few quieter ones had a Nirvana Unplugged feel.

I understand the Crow mention is meant as a compliment, and I like some of her stuff ok, I just don't hear it as strongly. Barnett is still seemingly developing her sound, so we can all be right--different songs are drawn from different sources.

wow this record rules... my brother is a huge fan and now i'm bummed i didn't go with him to see her a couple weeks ago. "an illustration of loneliness" and "depreston" stand out but the whole thing is so fucking good. shit, "dead fox" too

"Small Poppies" is a bit overlong and meandering, but there's a bunch of great tunes on this album. I overlooked her debut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAn3JdtSrnY

eff

meant to post this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NVOawOXxSA

i like the whole album, but this track is especially excellent in my opinion

She was terrific at Pitchfork yesterday! She sounded even more like "If It Makes You Happy"-era Sheryl Crow.

She was terrific at a festival in Minneapolis a few weeks ago, too. Her soloing and vocals on "Small Poppies" were really heavy. Was Sheryl Crow ever such an intense performer?

How do the festie crowds react? She a hit?

Hard to tell. At my show she began rather tentatively.

(a) I saw Ms Barnett play a small pub in Hobart late last year, I have never seen a human enjoy playing the guitar as much as she does.
and (b) my nine year old daughter, who is waking up to a deep interest in music I think, is OBSESSED with this record, knows the lyrics inside out. I think it might be her "ground zero".

<3

I love the way she plays guitar in concert, physically, slinging it up and down and waving her arm at it like you're not sure she's even going to hit the strings. Like it's an extension of her body, but a kind of awkward extension that she can't help flailing around with.

Just noticed what sounded like her on a TCM commercial, and indeed it is ("Nobody Really Cares If You Don't Go to the Party"). Still haven't gotten around to the album. I did like that one better than the other two I've heard.

When I saw C.B. there was to my right a young girl on her dad's shoulders, singing along tentatively w/ "Avant Gardener." Couldn't tell if she'd been coached or if it was genuine, but either way I think Barnett provides a good opportunity for adults to invite kids to their musical world.

She is such an amazing guitarist. Everyone talks about her as a lyricist so it took seeing her live to understand that her guitar playing is really what shapes her songs.

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/11755062_979509195402558_5882669198378646600_n.jpg?oh=a190f8c462287979d9fa00307e26c007&oe=565658D4

They'll callus soon enough.

When I saw C.B. there was to my right a young girl on her dad's shoulders, singing along tentatively w/ "Avant Gardener." Couldn't tell if she'd been coached or if it was genuine, but either way I think Barnett provides a good opportunity for adults to invite kids to their musical world.

My five-year old daughter is always "oh I love this song!" when Elevator Operator comes on in the car.

Wonder how loud they got at the Newport Folk festival (which I guess goes beyond folk these days)? Saw photos but didn't look for video

Sharing an ACL ep with Gary Clark Jr. which'll debut on/around Halloween.

more decent aussie stuff ive heard lately - Good Morning, Twerps

Twerps are ace

Maybe someone could start an Aussie music thread? Not me*, but I would occasionally consider lurking. No general threads showed up in a search – and it's been a long time since S/D Aussie Music Videos and What is the greatest Australian single of the last 25 years? (10 years ago).

* sadly I'd need one of these first

Feel like there has been talk about this sort of music generally in the Dick Diver thread.

Courtney Barnett, The Grammys Like Her

Best New Artist nod

she's playing SNL's season finale. i find this fairly shocking.

how come? i bet the sound will be shitty

really excited to see her tonight. glad she's doing one last victory lap tour for this record. i only heard it after she had been thru last year. also just found out the opening band The Sandwich Police has Evan Dando in it???

Fun show?

She was good enough on Saturday Night Live. I guess she likes having the mikestand set up high, and standing on her toes to reach it...

it was good. she seemed a little tired, sorta just barreled thru the set. not surprised, she's been playing the same songs - except for Three Packs a Day and Pickles from the Jar - for 2 years now. maybe she got stoned with evan dando beforehand. i'm bummed that she doesn't have a second guitarist, I love her lead playing on the record. songs like Depreston and Sleepless in New York felt empty without their lead lines.

http://i.imgur.com/qL2Fvbg.jpg
L-R C. Barnett, Callie (age 10), J. Cloher

i need to get the records. i like listening to her a lot. i love her voice. i get the sheryl thing more than the liz thing mentioned on here. also i'll bet she was a fan of car wheels on a gravel road. (i'd much rather listen to courtney than lucinda though...)

huh...anyone heard this?
http://pitchfork.com/news/73817-kurt-vile-and-courtney-barnett-announce-tour-new-collaborative-album/

I wish I could be more excited about this, but frankly Vile puts me to sleep.

me too... this is a drag. was hoping for a new solo record from her this year

kurt and courtney!

maybe she will teach him how to rock out

i dont think courtney barnett will be teaching anyone to rock out tbh

have you not dozed through kurt vile

no but ive dozed through courtney barnett

aw i like her

Courtney Barnett, i like her

yeah I like her too and she certainly knows how to rock out

I have actually witnessed her rocking out in concert, p cool

they're both great, should be a great collabo and tour. they can probably share clothes.

wow 3 chicago dates, gonna try and do the bottle since it's probably my last opportunity to see kv at a venue so small

fucking hell get this drongo out the paint already

― r|t|c, Thursday, 21 January 2016 02:06 (one year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

hell yea

depreston destroys me, what a song

oh man i've been playing that one a lot the past couple days. an instant classic, and only two chords. imagine the feeling of writing a song like that - it has an elemental simplicity & elusive power

glad this wasn't a bump for her new record with Kurt Vile. not really psyched on the single

cheers flappy

That nee Kurt Vile/ Courtney song is great wtf

If you like Vile's music that is.

New

I didn't really like the new single either, and I like Kurt Vile. But then again, I don't really like Barnett's music much, and I much prefer Vile's earlier music, so perhaps I just don't like new things

Lol

I'm not a Vile fan either, despite his associations with things I love (The Best Show with Tom Scharpling, and now Courtney), and this song bores me in exactly the same way that everything else I've heard from him does. But if this is the only new Courtney Barnett music I'm going to get for now, I'll check the album out.

Interesting, i feel exactly the same thing but replace Courtney with Kurt in your comment

yeah I find KV incredibly boring but will listen to the record bc of CB

he was OK on that hope sandoval track, but hope didn't really need it

Interesting, i feel exactly the same thing but replace Courtney with Kurt in your comment

― nostormo, Monday, September 4, 2017 3:30 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ha, this really is a perfect pairing for a collaboration: two artists that are fairly traditional & boring on paper, but the quality of the songs transcends it. Equally applicable to KV & CB depending on who you are.

wow this new song & video are really lovely

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHCtH15dpmU

this is the sort of shit that would really annoy me and then make me eventually leave early while i tried to enjoy an overpriced coffee.

it's a thin line. something about that circular guitar motif running throughout the song just hits the spot. verses are really nice too, song has a sweet vibe, obv I prefer Courtney's singing & lyrics but Kurt is tolerable on here.

also lol didn't make the Kurt & Courtney connection re: this whole record until Courtney held up that DVD

i like it!

Kurt is vv good i think though I'm more a Courtney Barnett fan at this point.

this shit was vile

loved it

the video is so sweet too! again, a thin line, but it made me :)

these are the kinds of songs i wish kurdt still wrote for his solo releases

couldn't make it through the vid sorry

actually, I thought the link was this terrible thing. My apologies.

there were a couple kurt vile tunes i dug from a few years back but that's about as deep as i can go. his hair is beautiful though and i wish i had it

courtney barnett's music is brutally bad

xp yeah Alfred I was not into that first single at all. this new one really won me over, psyched for the album now

have heard very little Kurt Vile before these two songs & his singing on the verses reminds me a lot of Daniel Johnston

good but i can't help thinking it'd be better as just a KV song.

I think CB is okay-to-good but I expect her to only get better, maybe as she sheds the idea that she's some kind of lyrical observational savant

Nice tune

A dream couple, somehow this is a proof that 1+1>2.

Over Everything is like a David Kilgour song with guest vocals by James Yorkston and, uh, Courtney Barnett

it's really great!

Yeah, this is good stuff

Been listening to 'Continental Breakfast' a lot every day since it came out, such a wonderful song. I'll be really happy if there are 2-3 more songs as good as this on the record.

this album, i like it

love love the peepin' tom cover

I'm on the fence, Vile's voice isn't my favorite. But the closer, a cover of Belly's "Untogether", is brilliant.

ohhh i really like that one too! didn't know it was a cover

no way, they cover untogether?

a Belly cover has done more to pique my interest than anything with Kurt Vile's name attached to it ever would

I heard Courtney and Kurt recorded a cover of each others songs, anyone have the details?

nice song by song rundown https://pitchfork.com/features/song-by-song/courtney-barnett-and-kurt-vile-break-down-every-song-on-their-album-lotta-sea-lice/

such a nice record

https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/5a84e96c73301b2d13c13d2d/master/pass/courtney-barnett-album-art.jpg

Tell Me How You Really Feel - May 18, 2018

01 Hopefulessness
02 City Looks Pretty
03 Charity
04 Need a Little Time
05 Nameless, Faceless
06 I’m Not Your Mother, I’m Not Your Bitch
07 Crippling Self Doubt and a General Lack of Self-Confidence
08 Help Your Self
09 Walkin’ on Eggshells
10 Sunday Roast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZZSYDhx0FI

Courtney Barnett, i like her. Moreso than Curdt Fyle, but they complemented each other well.

Courtney Barnett, i like your new song.

Chorus is a play on Atwood "Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them"

kinda liz phairy

the Kurt and Courtney record really disappointed me considering how much I enjoy each artist's solo work, it was just more half-assed goofiness than even they could get away with. hoping Barnett's new one is a return to form.

I had forgotten how much goodwill I had towards her - the debut was disappointing and the collab was not for me - but this is markedly better

yea maybe it was the point but I thought the CB and KV record sounded so blah

I’m of the irony of posting negatively about a Courtney Barnett song that is about people who write negatively about Courtney Barnett songs. But I’ll go ahead. This one’s not doing much for me. A little bland. I like her a lot but I think she’s at her best when she’s writing narratively (Avant Gardener, Depreston, Sleepless in NY), and I’m hoping there’s more songs like those on the new record. This one feels a little bit like Pedestrian at Best Part Two, except this time it’s against internet trolls rather than the media.

Besides, Lily Allen already wrote the ultimate anti-troll tune with the underrated URL Badman.

The Courtney/Kurt album is dope as hell. I think it's the best thing either artist has put out so far and I really hope they do another one.

Just reading this thread and seeing how so few people enjoyed it really bums me out.

my fave from both as well, great little record

yeah I liked it, the halfassed goofiness is a big part of its charm for me

It really grew on me. At first I thought it was "blah" as well, but it kept making me go back to it until I discovered its charms. I find Courtney's work isn't always immediate and worth the little effort to connect with it.

She actually wrote a melody for change didn't she.

damn dude

Depreston?????????

new song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TISIPNpRuoY

reminds me of aimee mann & elliott smith

Weird video

Love the lazy lope of the song, excited for the album now.

I don’t see it mentioned on a quick scan of this thread, so I’ll note that her cover of “Shivers,” originally by The Boys Next Door (pre–The Birthday Party), is one of my favorite things she’s recorded:

https://youtu.be/PkG3TI9W31U

The original is awesome, too (and totally different in style) — I had never heard of it until her version. CB’s a great “cover artist”... I love her takes on INXS songs, etc.

“Shivers,” originally by The Boys Next Door

Cool, thx for the history...

Divine Fits (Britt Daniel from Spoon & Dan Boeckner from Wolf Parade) also did an excellent cover of Shivers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7Ye7KB5jxY

I'd never heard it before that version either, I love it.

It's a fantastic song, any way you slice it...

the dogs in space cover of shivers is the best cover of shivers.

whoever did that one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1h9xoSsuPQ

holy shit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TISIPNpRuoY

indeed the video posted by fb on revive :P

it's surely not OK that this is now my favourite CB song, is it?

^ surely is

Am - Dm - G - C - C/B
Em - E7 - F
repeat with variations = bliss

Just bought tix to see her play in October – psyched!

wow that new song is grrrreat, and it - for whatever reason - makes me wonder jus how big she can get? like i wonder if it's possible headlining amphitheaters are in her future? because that seems like it would a tremendous sort of "end result" for someone like her.

super nice song. such a cute video too. i could see it having crossover appeal and getting people interested in her.

another new song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42XXZvrnHbM

Courtney otm

I like this one

Think this one is gonna sound great live - this record seems a lot more focussed and tightly wound than her last couple of records. Which is a relief.

Good stuff.

I hope she tours with a second guitarist. The leads are so great on the last record

Dan Luscombe from The Drones.

last one sounded great live too iirc

She rarely played any leads though - I really missed the solo on Depreston (imo the highlight of that record)

I luv “Depreston” – but I question whether she’s really “never had a latte greater” than what she can make at home with the “percolator.” (I totally buy the cost-saving argument, of course!)

not sure if life gets any better than smoking a cig listening to this new dope single

xp it’s resignation at trading the inner city for flavourless suburbia

Suburbia’s not that bad

seems depressing-ing

Suburbia’s not that bad

Preston's not even that far out, about 40 minutes on the tram, but seriously - you don't think there's an immediate, massive and profound change in life going from Fitzroy to Preston?

40 minutes does seem pretty far

Hey sic I was saying that more as an aside. I grew up in the suburbs

40 minutes does seem pretty far

welcome to Australia

she should try to sing in a non-moany way. that would be a massive improvement. I realise, of course, that's her thing but it seems like a bad habit that she could get out of and one that would hugely improve her tracks.

i like her and like her songs but i can tell she's got stuck singing that extremely moany way and that she could get out of it. it's kinda like, you know thom yorke has a voice but he's somehow decided to moooooane awaaaaay rather than sing for a decade plus.

Odd comparison – I find Yorke’s singing voice unbearable, and I quite like CB’s.

xxxp: Trams can be quite slow. Preston's about 8km (5 miles) from the city centre. Walkable, if it comes to that.

I quite like the two-act structure of "City...".

Don't think it's a moan she's got, just a bit of a drawl. An appealingly lazy way of singing. Another Girl Another Planet came on the radio yesterday and it struck me that some of the phrasing, a bit behind, was very CBish (e.g. "I look ill but I don't care about it", "I don't find it irritating"). The way she sings is a big part of her appeal imo.

eyeball otm. i love her laid back way of singing too.

Kicks otm it’s definitely a drawl. And drawls rule

this thing ain't streaming anywhere yet? what's the hold up!

it comes out on friday

it's okay

^^ promising, actually

Gonna rock this tonight

A bit drab, isn’t it?

I ended up liking this as much as the debut.

is there anything as good as Depreston on it?

That’s encouraging. I’m only one listen in, and I admit that I am a bit put off by the draggy front half.

"City Looks Pretty," "Crippling Self-Doubt and a General Lack of Confidence," "Sunday Roast," "Charity," especially "Charity."

xp do u mean anything similar to depreston

She begins wth a ballad, either a sign of confidence or lunacy.

xp not necessarily. that song just sat way above the rest of the songs on the debut imo, though i love that record.

yeah, I agree

slightly off topic but was thinking a bit about that cool (borrowed) couplet Men are scared that women will laugh at them/Women are scared that men will kill them
that's funny/sad because it's true but I think it's worth noting that men are also scared that men will kill them

This record is classic

Opening anti guitar solo is a good fuck you move

why is she fucking us? anyway album is completely killer

Everything’s amaziiing

Including this here rec

Courtney Barnett, I like her

walking on eggshells is a lot like over everything. Nothing on here quite like depreston but at least 3 slow burners

she seems to have loosened up on this record - her guitar playing is noisier and wilder . this is a good thing . the first one may well be a ballad but it still pretty mean and menacing. I think this is her best album so far

The new single is kind of a tuneless snoozer.

This record rips. On what planet is the face melting Solo on help yourself drab? Record makes me wonder if she’s ok tho

Loving the new album.

I like it tons but unsure if it will crack my top 10 - year has been solid

That’s Kim and Kelley deal on the song tell me how you really feel !!!

I think this album is really good (and too short)! If I were to voice a criticism beyond that (and why not, it's ILM) -- "Sunday Roast" is a bit of a weak note to end on.

Yeah it’s super concise. Both this and the us girls feel like a track short to me

It's as good as the original, don't understand the original kvetching.

Yeah I really liked the rolling stone review.
It definitely is more angry and all the better also some potent meditations on depression

lovin this record

I dig the sound of her voice / way she sings and her gtr playing so much at this point, I've reached that "fan" level where the songs are almost beside the point (if that makes sense)... I just love hearing her stuff!

I can relate to that, it's a really nice record, Sunday Roast a standout

The half-speed slowdown in the middle of "City Looks Pretty" is probably one of oldest tricks in the book, yet it "gets me" every time! Really one of her best songs evah.

(There's a Pavement song that does the same thing; can't think of it at the moment...)

(ftr - I was thinking of "Billie," from Terror Twilight)

"Silence Kit" more likely maybe?

I'm kind of on the fence with her. Old tricks in the indie book tend to abound, but she sometimes has that one extra hook to transcend it. "Charity" is a very good pop song regardless of such concerns.

Both vancouver shows sold out instantly. Waxahatchee to open. Tears of pain here

Seeing her in Toronto in one week! :D

'need a little time' seems pretty underwritten for her

I saw her play last night — holy gawd, it was amazing. She’s a rock star. I’ve seen a lot of shows; and this was one of “those shows”... She plays (without a pick!) fierce, confident rock & roll with perfect, in-the-pocket solos. Tight, excellent band. Even if I didn’t already know (& love) many of these songs, I would have been swept up. I felt privileged to be there, silly as that sounds.

She is also the best selector and performer of cover songs that I know. These are two she did last night:

https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/08/courtney-barnett-houses-cover-weinberg/

https://www.stereogum.com/1998072/watch-courtney-barnett-cover-gillian-welchs-everything-is-free/video/

awesome!

there is a video online where she demonstrates her guitar technique (sans pick) here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CYxbqFCggQ

did waxahatchee open??

Yes, Wax. & Malkmus/Jicks. (Katie C. of Wax. came back out and performed that first cover with CB)

sounds like a great time

both shows sold out here instantly, which was sad. album still in my top 10 for this year tho!

Saw Phoebe Bridgerscover Everything is Free the other month. Interesting resurgence covered here:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/gillian-welch-everything-is-free-courtney-barnett-father-john-misty-725135/

I hope she comes thru on this tour, saw her 2+ years ago and it was great but imo another guitarist was desperately needed, so many of her songs are propelled by her leads. Glad she's expanded the band. Haven't spent as much time with the new record as I should.

She’s added a keyboard player who plays guitar on some songs.

“Depreston” was amazing (the centerpiece / show stopper) — I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crowd that large so transfixed by a song.

that's the one, and definitely one that needs another player... an astounding song, as good as she is that one towers over everything else imo

yep absolutely, other than avant gardener imo

love Depreston, but also Pedestrian at Best and all of the other songs from Sometimes I Sit and Think..

“Avant Gardener” ruled in this live setting, too...

where did you see her morrisp?

just in terms of her recorded songs Kim's Caravan is also so great

The Greek Theater (Los Angeles)

I’ve told several ppl about this show (who weren’t familiar w/CB), and they all asked, “What is she, a singer-songwriter? Acoustic guitar?”

She’s a FUCKIN’ ROCK & ROLLER, FOLX!!

fucking hate compartmentalizing artists but that last album doesn't really rock too hard, though it has some scorching solos

It’s rock & roll, dude!

sure

Saw her last night doing the power trio thing. Superb show. Reminds me of this statement by UMS from a Florence thread:

it's interesting that people so hold on to like lumpy bands like foo fighters like "we need realy rock staaars man" and like florence is a rock star totally, she had the arena in her hand

Same goes for Courtney (and Julia Cumming from Sunflower Bean, who opened).

She is indeed a rock star! (as I mentioned in my own blissed-out show reaction above)

Also, my *least* favorite style of hers is the grungy, Nirvana-style song ("Pedestrian at Best," "I'm Not Your Mother") -- but she really seems to rile up the crowd with those songs... so I guess if that style is the necessary "rock star" trigger for a certain type of "Foo Fighters fan" listener, even they will get what they're looking for.

Actually the first time I saw her I was surprised how much her live show reminded of a Nirvana power-trio rock show. That side doesn't come through too strongly on the albums.

when she played on SNL in 2016 my ex-gf's dad said she reminded him of Kurt Cobain. I had never thought about that before but yeah, it fits - maybe I didn't see it before because CB doesn't have the anger or angst of Nirvana, but certainly the energy.

...also being a Southpaw fond of throwing guitars around.

Her neurotic wordplay and chord changes have reminded me of Cobain from the start - the self-effacing wit, the timing.

she certainly enunciates better though

...also being a Southpaw fond of throwing guitars around.

FP'd you for racism

I'M NOT MORRISSEY!

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Eb8YuXZ1L._SX355_.jpg

it is kind of incredible how much I love love love the first side of "Tell Me How You Really Feel" and yet I can never make it through or really remember anything on side 2

"Help Your Self"? "Sunday Roast"?

also I assume everyone knows about https://courtneybarnett.bandcamp.com/album/mtv-unplugged

the mtv unplugged set from last year is really good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUXvlpS0TvE

Oh cool, didn't know she had a new album on the way.

great single, it’s everything she does best. Album’s not out til November but Milk records has preorders in all formats

New song, "Before You Gotta Go," is really a nice one

https://courtneybarnett.com.au/stemmixer

She put up a few of the new songs in a stem mixer. "Before You Go" sounds great with just drums/vocals/synth pad, gets weird and austere.

This sounded good on the radio the other day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTrdzqGHqu4

Courtney Barnett, I still like her

Album's out, it's ultra ultra ultra low key and pushes in some unusual directions for her. Still the first listen but I'm enjoying it. The drawl is a little unchecked on a few tracks but I'm sure I will ease into it.

Love the gtr at the end of "Turning Green"

I really got into "Here's the Thing" which is unassuming but has a lot to offer. Noticed Mr Soto's p4k review, don't agree it's her least interesting, but I'll be interested to find out how much it grows on me.

It's a pretty unassuming album, def feels like a "grower"

xxp Hey, Alfred's review kicks off talking about that gtr part! "Good morning!," Mr. Soto

Responses elsewhere seem to be generally more positive. I like it, but I still get more out of her first album.

put her on a pedestal and she’ll only disappoint you

Hey, Alfred's review kicks off talking about that gtr part! "Good morning!," Mr. Soto

https://media1.giphy.com/media/t8ANqsIUQXty8C7Bpr/giphy.gif

she's onto some good ambient noodling
https://courtneybarnett.bandcamp.com/album/end-of-the-day-music-from-the-film-anonymous-club

Another in a series of terrifically well chosen & executed covers by her -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F94tz8Y6a3Y