Courtney Barnett

Courtney Barnett

I think that this is probably the first time that I’ve ever posted on this blog something or anything about an artist who is totally new to me. Most of the time, as can be seen from earlier posts, I’ve put stuff on here about post-punk bands or blues musicians or obscure rockabilly singers from the 50’s. Whichever it’s been, well, I’ve listened to their music for a very long time, possibly years and years, and although I may love it (The Fall) or hate it (Sisters of Mercy), I know what it’s all about i.e. it’s not new.

But here and now, I’m kind of breaking this habit, this rule that has sort of developed of its own accord over the past few years. And it’s all because I’ve heard something new and something that has totally blown my musical socks off.

Sometimes when you listen to lot of music-and I do listen to a lot of music- you get kind of bored. It all becomes stale and you enter that “there’s nothing new under the sun/it all sounds the same/ this is just like xxxx” mindset. At those times (and I think they are much more prevalent since the advent of the internet and the ability to really to get hold anything who want at the click of a button), I have this dread fear that I’m going to be stuck in the past listening to the same old stuff over and over again. Maybe that point will come some day. But I’m relieved to say it’s not happened yet and it’s because of Courtney Barnett. My faith in music has been restored and there’s something to get genuinely excited about once more.   

I’m writing this on a Sunday evening. I first heard this artist on Thursday evening. Less than a week ago. Four days ago; and kind of purely by chance. I was flicking through the internet on Thursday and saw her name crop up. A faint bell rang. That faint bell was with reference to an interview Emily Eavis did about the initial Glastonbury line-up for 2014 and something along the lines about “it wasn’t all about the headliners…really excited about new artists, such as Courtney Barnett.” Now I have no idea why but somehow I must have got missed up and assumed (totally incorrectly) that “Courtney Barnett” was some sort of nu-jazz/rap/poet/white bloke with dreadlocks/drippy singer-songwriter. Something like that, if you get the picture. But as I flicked through the net last Thursday tea time and saw a photo of “Courtney Barnett”, I had a sort of Homer-doh moment.

Courtney Barnett wasn’t the aforesaid public school idiot but a female singer from Australia. I had literally got it poles apart. For some reason, probably because I was a bit bored and hungry, and because she was playing Glastonbury, I thought I’d better try to listen to what all Emily Eavis’ fuss was about. I’m so, so glad I did.

She’s only released 2 EP’s so far as far as I know, both of which have been collated onto the appropriately titled, “The Double EP”. There are 12 tracks in total and these 12 tracks have been on virtual repeat in our house (and our car) since Thursday evening. Apart from when I’ve been asleep or in work or down the shops, then I’ve not listened to anything else. It’s been with me when I’ve been writing, ironing, washing up or when everyone has been watching some dross on the TV.( I must admit that I’ve listened to a bit of The Fall as well, but take that as a given.)

Do you remember the first, or the most recent, time that you got so excited by a record that you wanted to make copies of it for all your friends, or even buy them copies and give it to them as presents? The time when you hear the first few bars of a song and know that it’s just so inherently right and so special? It may be the first note of Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” or the very beginning of Prince’s “Kiss”. It doesn’t matter really what it is; we all have those special moments. Well, “The Double EP” is 12 of them. Not just the start of the songs, but the whole lot.

I’m not going to go into a massive dissection of the tracks one by one, or try to compare them to other artists. That would just spoil it for you and give you preconceived ideas. All I can say is that this is most exciting and vibrant music I’ve heard for ages and ages. And I’ve only been listening to her for 4 days as well!

I realise that all this sounds super-effusive and over-the-top. It’s not; if anything, I’ve taken a step back and tempered it all down.

I could easily have put a link to a You Tube clip of her on here, but I haven’t, for the reasons above.

Just get hold of “The Double EP”. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Two more things:

 1.If I go to see anyone playing at Glastonbury this year, then it’ll be Courtney Barnett.

2. I can’t wait to see what she will do next.

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“The Double EP” is here on Amazon; 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GCI94J2