WEEK 6 - COURTNEY BARNETT

I hope you are prepared for a brand new addition to the extremely long list of super cool people from Australia, or awesome Aussies, as I call them. Now among such names as Cate Blanchett, Steve Irwin, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and the Hemsworths stands Courtney Barnett. This singer/songwriter from Melbourne received the “breakthrough artist” award from the Australian Recording Industry and a “best new artist” Grammy nomination this past year. Her sudden fame and recognition came largely from a spectacular album released in spring of last year, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I just Sit. It was the 6th best album of 2015 according to RollingStone and universally earned critical acclaim. 

Courtney plays guitar and sings. Her voice has the extremely unique ability of sounding harmonious and beautiful when she so desires or deadpan and dry when she sings her clever lyrics. Her current band simply includes herself, a bassist, and a drummer, but this group still manages to create a powerful 90’s rock sound with modern attitude. Songs like “Pedestrian at Best,” and “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party,” perfectly embody this hard-hitting retro sound centered around rhythm guitar and drums.

The true charm of Courtney Barnett’s music comes from her brilliantly crafted lyrics. I personally think she is one of the most talented lyricists in music today. Her songs can range in tone from witty and satirical to melancholic and pensive. The chorus of “Pedestrian at Best” pokes fun at her newly found fame and its fickle nature. She sings, “Put me on a pedestal and I'll only disappoint you / Tell me I'm exceptional, I promise to exploit you / Give me all your money, and I'll make some origami, honey / I think you're a joke, but I don't find you very funny.” Or this very funny story in “Avant Gardener” about her experience in an ambulance after an asthma attack: 

The paramedic thinks I'm clever ‘cos I play guitar

I think she’s clever ‘cos she stops people dying

Anaphylactic and super hypocondriactic

Should’ve stayed in bed today

I much prefer the mundane.

I take a hit from an asthma puffer

I do it wrong

I was never good at smoking bongs.

In another song, “Elevator Operator,” she tells a darker story about a man who skips work one day to take an elevator to the roof of a building. He says, “I'm not suicidal, just idling insignificantly / I come up here for perception and clarity / I like to imagine I'm playing SimCity / All the people look like ants from up here / And the wind's the only traffic you can hear.” As funny as her more up-beat songs are, I think it is her heavier songs that really demonstrate her impressive range of abilities as a songwriter and musician. Please watch her performance of “Dead Fox” on Conan. The song provides a hilarious take on capitalism’s relationship with food, nutrition, and the environment. If you like it, I recommend you check out “Depreston” next. Enjoy!