How could you do a "Best Of'" list in almost any year without including Courtney Barnett? Okay, she's only been recording since 2013 and amazingly has only released two full LPs, so that might limit the number of years we can provide year-end tributes, but it feels like we've known her for much longer than that and, with her confessional songwriting, the initimite lyrics, and the handful of EPs and collabs that filled the time before and between those two LPs, it feels like we've not only known her longer but even better than we actually do. It's fitting, then, that Need A Little Time opens with the words, "I don’t know a lot about you but you seem to know a lot about me."
Like the Father John Misty song at No.6, this song isn't included in this list because it's necessarily her best track ever, but because it so perfectly encapsulates Barnett's charming oeuvre. It's a great summation of the essence of her craft - the deadpan lyrics, the Australian accent, the song structure that veers from Beatle-esque to near-Nirvana, and the candor and openness that Barnett infuses into so much of her work.
It's been interesting watching Barnett progress and grow as an artist these past five years or so. Live, she still thrashes and rocks as hard as ever with an intensity only hinted at in her most recent recordings, which only makes the thrashing and rocking that much more exciting to behold. She's a great artist with a great collection of songs and all kinds of potential. We can't wait to hear what she comes up with next.
Bonus round - Here's Barnett performing a seemingly spontaneous set in Atlanta's Piedmont Park. Not a concert mind you, just her and her band. We have no idea how they pulled this off - at first we guessed it must have been very early in the morning, but then we noticed that the shadows indicate that the sun is nearly directly overhead. Anyway, the song is Charity and our favorite part ("Mediation just makes you more strung out") is at the 1:50 mark. If you leave the video playing, you can catch a live version of Take A Little Time and the rest of her set as the band moves on to a dock on the park's Lake Clara Meer.
Bonus round - Here's Barnett performing a seemingly spontaneous set in Atlanta's Piedmont Park. Not a concert mind you, just her and her band. We have no idea how they pulled this off - at first we guessed it must have been very early in the morning, but then we noticed that the shadows indicate that the sun is nearly directly overhead. Anyway, the song is Charity and our favorite part ("Mediation just makes you more strung out") is at the 1:50 mark. If you leave the video playing, you can catch a live version of Take A Little Time and the rest of her set as the band moves on to a dock on the park's Lake Clara Meer.
No comments:
Post a Comment