Here Comes Courtney Barnett

A young Australian lady is making waves. She has a guitar and a quick wit, and she wants to sing to us. She addresses the mundane, the every day events of our lives, and the things we can all relate to. She does so in a unique way, spinning us tales more like episodes of a soap opera. She has a lackadaisical approach, sounding almost stoned at times, but this is a veil to how much she loves what she does. Yes, in parts she has a lazy delivery, but it's mixed with some beautiful singing and an obvious sense of humour that could become sharpened by the song, as she shows great potential for future years. Her talent is clear from this starting point, the release of her double EP - consisting of an EP from 2012 and one from this year, packaged as an early indicator of her song writing - shows all that is necessary to know a special artist is born.

She turns the normal events of life into some television circus. You can see it happening, as she carves pictures with her words. That in itself most songwriters are far from capable of, but she goes even further, as one of the very few who seem to have an unusual voice and way of twisting words and melodies into catchy and gripping stories.

There are elements of a little girl in the songs, of a teenager, and of a grown woman. It’s a fascinating proposition for a music fan and someone who has spent many years enjoying a wide range of music, but has a soft spot for the singer-songwriter concept. It's endlessly playful, as if we are witnessing a young woman searching for and finding herself. This is a lady who is capable of much in her songs. The sound of thrashing guitars in parts displays her thrilling rock leanings, as she states growing up listening to Nirvana, and it shows. So it is much more than the singer-songwriter blueprint. She has cool videos that don’t copy anyone, in which she has fun and plays with her own ideas. She is smart, has intelligent words, seems in charge of her own destiny, and all with that dry delivery, soaked with humour and a love of song-writing. Writing songs is a magnificent way to ‘say something.’ There are times when it feels as though so few actually do this, and when it really comes along, it hits you for six.

So, Courtney Barnett, just twelve songs into her career has a long road ahead. She has started beautifully, maintaining a sense of what she is all about. I hope she stays true to that template, which is beautiful, as an artist and woman, and who could possibly expect any more.