When Courtney Barnett released Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit in 2015, she broke out as one of the most unlikely of stars.
With her witty lyricism, and signature deadpan delivery, Barnett quickly became one of the country’s most loved (and controversial) acts.
Get inside the mind of Courtney Barnett with five records she was listening to while writing and recording her upcoming album.
Barnett recently released the first taste from her new album with single Nameless, Faceless, tackling misogyny and referencing Margaret Atwood.
Limited 7″ pressings of the new single were given to independent record stores across the country last week, which were given away to fans for free.
Tell Me How You Really Feel will be released May 18th through Milk! Records.
Barnett tells Discogs about the records she’s been listening to below:
X-Ray Spex – Germ Free Adolescents
“Perfect at extreme volume levels. Neighbours will love you. I had an X-Ray Spex coffee mug in the studio that said “I Am A Cliche”, it gave me Poly Styrene power when I was blasting out some angry vocals.”
Elliott Smith – Either/Or
“I went away to write/record a bunch of my new album in country NSW. I’d recently broken my phone so I was sorta off the grid. I was listening to Ballad Of Big Nothing on repeat, for some reason it was the only song saved on my phone. I was feeling pretty vulnerable and I found eternal solace in Elliott Smith and his heavenly melodies.”
David Lynch & Alan R. Splet – Eraserhead Soundtrack
“I was sick in bed with the flu, editing lyrics, and on a David Lynch bender after watching the new Twin Peaks. I watched Eraserhead for the first time and maybe it was my fever talking but I was entranced by the sound design and music throughout the film. I kept telling Dan (Luscombe, keys/organ) to “make it sound more Eraserhead”. My kettle boiling in Track 1 Hopefulessness is a shameless homage.”
Kim Deal – Self-Released 7″ Series
“It’s not an LP, but it’s a damn good collection. These songs inspired me in my early demo stages, I was doing lots of loops and/or multi-tracking all the instruments and I liked getting lost in the trance of these songs and un-stitching how they were put together in the first place. Stand out songs Are You Mine? and The Root.
Beethoven, Ferenc Fricsay, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – Symphony No. 9 In D Minor
“I listen to a lot of classical music while I’m writing or working on lyrics. Depending on my mood or the mood of the song it changes. I’m no classical music specialist, but I love the drama of the Ninth. When I was 18 I worked in a nightclub. I’d knock-off at 5am, buzzed on red bull, go home and fall asleep to the Clockwork Orange DVD. I guess it’s lodged in the back of my brain somehow from that.”
Via Discogs
