Tell Me How You Really Feel by Courtney Barnett

By now you’ve no doubt heard of Melbourne, Australia’s Courtney Barnett. Her debut full-length, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit was #5 in 2015, and both that album and her phenomenal follow-up, Tell Me How You Really Feel here at #8 were KEXP listeners’ #1 album in each of their respective release dates (2018, 2015).

Barnett is a relentless performer, and there are lots of good videos out there to take in for this album:

She and her band performed all 10 songs from this album on a pier in Atlanta.
Speaking of KEXP, there’s also a fantastic set from her in-studio there back in November.
Her hour-long performance at the Pitchfork Music Festival in July.
Another radio set, this time for LA’s KCRW in June.
And old-fashioned music videos for a few of the songs as well:

Need a Little Time (featured above)
Charity
Sunday Roast
City Looks Pretty
Nameless, Faceless

I had the pleasure of seeing her live myself back in October, at the rather large Paramount Theatre, and it was great. She is an amazing guitarist, wielding the instrument like a battle axe and throwing herself all over the stage. She not so much as sings as talks through her songs, with lyrics full of straightforward yet intimate stories about her rather colorful life.

This album took a little bit longer to grow on me than her debut. But once it hooked me, I couldn’t put it down. There’s something about her delivery that keeps me involved despite my inability to define that thing. Maybe you feel the same way?

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9. The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs by Wye Oak
10. Ruins by First Aid Kit
11. Cocoa Sugar by Young Fathers
12. Loner by Caroline Rose
13. Big Red Machine by Big Red Machine
14. I’ll Be Your Girl by The Decemberists
15. The More I Sleep the Less I Dream by We Were Promised Jetpacks
16. Joy as an Act of Resistance by IDLES
17. Hell-On by Neko Case
18. Superorganism by Superorganism
19. Living in Extraordinary Times by James
20. Thank You for Today by Death Cab for Cutie
21. Black Panther: The Album by Kendrick Lamar
22. Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) by Thom Yorke
23. Merrie Land by The Good, the Bad & the Queen
24. Room 25 by Noname
25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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