Courtney Barnett, I like her

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.