Courtney Barnett albums

2015

SOMETIMES I SIT AND THINK, SOMETIMES I JUST SIT – 90%

Barnett filled a void that is always much needed in any year: a solid, hard rock album. There are also echoes of power pop (“Elevator Operator”, “Aqua Profunda!”, “Debbie Downer”) and plenty of darker, more complex diversions (“Small Poppies”, “Kim’s Caravan”) that make the album more than just another traditional release. It has the potential to be the next Nirvana’s Nevermind with a lead single that can appeal to everyone in “Pedestrian at Best”, and she whips up a classic alternative rock sound that channels 1990’s acts such as Pavement, Liz Phair, and Madder Rose. In a lot of ways, the album feels planned out to show all facets of Barnett’s personality almost to the point of mathematical precision. But an album that his all the right notes and proves that she can master any rock music style is rare in any year, so it is a very welcome presence in rock music.

Greatest Songs: Pedestrian At Best, Kim’s Caravan, Aqua Profonda!, An Illustration of Loneliness