I have a total crush on Courtney Barnett. She's a great guitarist, she doesn't hide her plaintive Aussie accent, her verbose lyricism is both affecting and amusing - and she knows how to write a good song. When I listen to 'Avant Gardener' I forget that there aren't many people out there that have innate melody in every pore of their being. Writing a song about having a panic attack whilst gardening shouldn't be a good song - yet 'Avant Gardener' is frontrunner for my favourite song of the year. Barnett is a revelation.
Song of the year? You're not wrong, it's been stuck in my head since it was released earlier this year. The only rival it has is Jen Cloher's Hold My Hand, closing track on her stunning third album. No surprise that Courtney is playing guitar on that one too. I can't wait til the US and UK get to see her for themselves, they'll get some semblance of how damn good a guitarist she really is. They probably don't even realise she's a leftie :)
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