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 Everett True

Why do you like Courtney Barnett?

Why do you like Courtney Barnett?
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Her name sounds like a firm of solicitors. It’s what I look for in an artist.

She’s funny, she’s quite odd, she makes up words like emphysemin’, she writes lines like “and in the taxi home, I’ll sing you a Triffids song”, she’s quite nerdy in a way, which I like, but not self consciously so. I like her voice. I like that song Numbers she does with her partner, especially the bit “numbers count in songs for drummers”. I like the way her band play Cannonball, and seem to get it. Not so keen on the new Pedestrian At Best single sadly, but haven’t heard the album yet. Going to see her live in a month or so. She’s alright by me.

Because I like seeing wisdom not being wasted on the aged.

Pedestrian At Best clicks after 8 plays.

I like the song she does that reminds me of the Hoodoo Gurus. Will that do?

Because someone singing the word “masturbation” was novel to me.

Haha! I burned the CD to listen to in the car and had to take that song off, as I didn’t want to have an awkward conversation with our kids. They’ve listened to it loads now. The phrase “angry footballers” really makes our youngest laugh.

I love how unapologetically Australian she sounds… Great live, really enjoy her tunes when they r on the radio, the kids love them too! And I also love that line about The Triffids…

Because hopefully by doing this she’s turning folk on to the Hoodoo Gurus and Died Pretty… 

The Triffids thing piqued my interest initially, love the way she sounds. Intelligent lyrics wrapped up in a kind of ‘I don’t give a fuck’ package. Saw her live at Glastonbury last year, and the stagecraft was workmanlike, but that made me like her even more.

For her covering Kick in its entirety; really badly, but that is the essence of her I think – a shambolic poet with a copy of Nevermind in her Walkman

Love her poetic pun-laden lyrics. “Give me all your money, and I’ll make some oragami, Honey. I think you’re a joke, but I don’t find you very fu-uuu-uuu-uuu-uuu-uuu-uuu-uuu-uuu-uuu-uuu-uuu-uuu-uuu-ny”. Plus she just sounds cool.

She writes lyrics that are smart without being smugly-clever. She writes lyrics that are funny without being silly. She makes me care about the lyrics to her songs.

Oh so many reasons, many of which are stated here already, so for now I’ll go with: because in her cover of Kanye’s ‘Black Skinhead’ she changes ‘300 bitches’ to ‘300 chickens’. Some other reasons (sorry): http://observer.com/…/welcome-to-courtney-barnetts…/

I like her barnet! PAB ROX!

What’s not to like?

Girl has swagger – her lyrics are smart and funny – her vocal metering is fabulous (does anyone know of any spoken word she has done on any tracks i can check out anyone?) Her art comes out of observing her surroundings and her interaction with it, which is why it flows so well, why it seems so effortless. she just feels real to me, fresh, not in a ‘she reminds me of ‘ kind of way, but she is just Courtney, natural, unselfconscious, spontaneous. Brilliant!

SWIM needs something to listen to while these Breeders B-sides download.

The logarithms are right on Pedestrian At Best.

Great lyrics about paramedics.

She seems for real and has good tunes with words that can jump out at you.

Cos I think I always liked me mum’s Sheryl Crow CDs, but I never wanted to admit it.

Because it takes a special kind of genius to write a witty song about your asthma attack. And because she writes very catchy tunes. And because her Australian accent is charming.

I hope she’ll throw a Cannanes or Lighthouse Keepers reference into a song someday.

As an asthmatic I naturally totally adored Avant Gardener right from the off, and I guess that meant I was already on her wavelength when I heard more.

Don’t. Annoying.

This is interesting. Nobody mentioned her guitar work. I think she’s a great lyricist and vocalist. However, the first time I heard her, I was struck by how great her guitar sound was and her solos reminded me of a less indulgent J. I mean what’s not to like about someone singing like Dylan and playing like Mascis.

Fair point. The guitars are actually some of the many reasons this album is so terrific.

I know it’s incredibly selfish, but I kinda wish we could have had her to ourselves a bit longer before all of this worldwide fame and attention. She just hasn’t stopped for a couple of years straight now, and I hope she doesn’t suffer from burnout, either physically or musically . One of the few ‘artists’ I’m genuinely excited to see what she comes up with next though. Nobody tells a story quite like her

Everett, you are more charitable than me. I think it goes unmentioned because people assume it’s not her on guitar….or rather a her on guitar.

“Nice people make horrible music”. She, and her band are the exception (that either proves or disproves the rule). All incredibly talented and generous folk.

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