4/5
Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
Artist: Courtney Barnett
Australian mumble-core rocker Courtney Barnett is taking the critical world by storm with her debut studio album Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit. That title, a tad wordy with a dash of casual introspect, is a pretty good introduction to Barnett’s songwriting style. There have been punk and rock bands singing lyric-jammed songs in monotone voices ever since Bob Dylan released Bringing It All Back Home; it’s nothing new. Saying that, Barnett’s album feels new and original in enough ways for it to be considered a great album.
I contribute this to her fluid, stream-of-conscious lyrical work. As you may suspect, this style has its ups and downs. “Small Poppies,” which finds Barnett staring at growing grass, is a seven minute blues jam that is worth every second. On the other end of the spectrum, I did not much care about hearing how she could not afford organic vegetables in “Dead Fox.” But when it works, it really works. “Depreston” and “Elevator Operator,” the album’s two best tracks, are surely two of 2015’s best songs. These two songs alone truly welcome to the fold a musician worth watching.
In closing, I will admit that the first half of the album is substantially better than the closing half. Beginning with “Dead Fox,” the album loses a great deal of memorability. I have made it through the record about four times, liking it more every time. I can hear first-half tunes like “Pedestrian At Best” and “Aqua Profunda!” playing in my head after the album is long gone. I look at latter-half tracks like “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To the Party” and “Boxing Day Blues,” though, and I cannot recall a single note. The best song on on Side B is the nearly seven minute “Kim’s Caravan,” which is carried by a Nirvana-esque bass line that makes the song. Barnett has my attention; I cannot wait to see what comes next.
Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
Artist: Courtney Barnett
Australian mumble-core rocker Courtney Barnett is taking the critical world by storm with her debut studio album Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit. That title, a tad wordy with a dash of casual introspect, is a pretty good introduction to Barnett’s songwriting style. There have been punk and rock bands singing lyric-jammed songs in monotone voices ever since Bob Dylan released Bringing It All Back Home; it’s nothing new. Saying that, Barnett’s album feels new and original in enough ways for it to be considered a great album.
I contribute this to her fluid, stream-of-conscious lyrical work. As you may suspect, this style has its ups and downs. “Small Poppies,” which finds Barnett staring at growing grass, is a seven minute blues jam that is worth every second. On the other end of the spectrum, I did not much care about hearing how she could not afford organic vegetables in “Dead Fox.” But when it works, it really works. “Depreston” and “Elevator Operator,” the album’s two best tracks, are surely two of 2015’s best songs. These two songs alone truly welcome to the fold a musician worth watching.
In closing, I will admit that the first half of the album is substantially better than the closing half. Beginning with “Dead Fox,” the album loses a great deal of memorability. I have made it through the record about four times, liking it more every time. I can hear first-half tunes like “Pedestrian At Best” and “Aqua Profunda!” playing in my head after the album is long gone. I look at latter-half tracks like “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To the Party” and “Boxing Day Blues,” though, and I cannot recall a single note. The best song on on Side B is the nearly seven minute “Kim’s Caravan,” which is carried by a Nirvana-esque bass line that makes the song. Barnett has my attention; I cannot wait to see what comes next.