#5 on the 2021 Bacon Top 31 — Courtney Barnett
Things Take Time, Take Time by Courtney Barnett
Welcome to the Top 5 of 2021! Courtney Barnett has been so consistently prominent in my active playlists, it feels as though she’s been around forever. I had thought of starting this review of her latest fantastic release, Things Take Time, Take Time, with something along the lines of “Courtney Barnett’s entire solo career has been charted on the Bacon Top 31.” While that statement is entirely true, it lacks the proper oomph when I look back and realize, dumbly, that Barnett has had only two previous albums: 2015’s Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (#5 that year), and 2018’s Tell Me How You Really Feel (#8 that year).
Check out my earlier reviews for the history of the Melbourne, Australia-born singer/songwriter. Since her last album album, her guitar-playing has gotten even more electric, and thanks to the pandemic, it’s being given more prominence. Unlike past albums, Things Take Time has only two musicians on the entirety of the album, creating a sound that is more sparse and direct than previous efforts. Barnett still brings her unbelievably slow, nearly spoken-word vocals to the fore, while also filling in guitar, bass, piano. And Stella Mozgawa plays drums, percussion, and keyboards.
With her third album here in the Top 10, I think it’s safe to say I’ve got a thing for Barnett. She’s got a sense of humor, irony, and pun that comes through both in her lyrics as well as her videos. In addition to “Before You Gotta Go,” featured above, check out “Rae Street,” “If I Don’t Hear From You Tonight,” and “Write a List of Things to Look Forward To.”
Courtney Barnett continues to refine her delivery for the better. Even if you haven’t enjoyed what she’s put out so far, I recommend checking out Things Take Time. It only takes one full play to start to understand the nuances and beauty of her craft. Give it a play, you won’t regret it.
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6. Little Oblivions by Julien Baker
7. Valentine by Snail Mail
8. sketchy. by tUnE-yArDs
9. A Very Lonely Solstice by Fleet Foxes
10. Hey What by Low
11. Local Valley by José González
12. Head of Roses by Flock of Dimes
13. The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows by Damon Albarn
14. Collapsed in Sunbeams by Arlo Parks
15. Loving In Stereo by Jungle
16. Flying Dream 1 by Elbow
17. Screen Violence by Chvrches
18. Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice
19. Mainly Gestalt Pornography by Pearly Gate Music
20. Peace Or Love by Kings of Convenience
21. These 13 by Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird
22. Mr. Corman: Season 1 by Nathan Johnson
23. Home Video by Lucy Dacus
24. I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico by Various Artists
25. Siamese Dream by Fruit Bats
26. NINE by Sault
27. Observatory by Aeon Station
28. The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania by Damien Jurado
29. A Beginner’s Mind by Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine
30. Where the End Begins by Knathan Ryan
31. Private Space by Durand Jones & The Indications
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Full Album
All albums in their entirety.
Radio Station
A single song selection pulled from each album.