Things Take Time, Take Time. Courtney Barnett

Within a very short time Courtney Barnett became the indie darling of the world. In a way this must have been welcome as every artist craves some form of recognition. In another it made her far from happy. On top of that her relationship with singer-songwriter Jen Cloher folded as well. And Covid. Luckily for her she was in her home country just before it went into lockdown. It gave her all the time in the world to reflect on herself, her life, her music. The result is released in the form of a new album.

I'll admit straight away, I had a hard time getting to grips with Things Take Time, Take Time. A prophetic title at that for me. The first single I heard, not necessarily the first, gave me a lot of doubts. I could not discover much truly exciting about it. But then, I had almost forgotten that until her previous album, she had not fully convinced me either.

With each new listening session, as hey, this is Courtney Barnett, the album slowly did come alive for me. More and more I started to listen with joy and started to enjoy the little details in the songs. A dilapidated organ here, a wobbly guitar there. Things Courtney Barnett start with her voice. Although she has a pleasing timbre in her voice, her singing technique is something else. The way she, often not always, uses her voice suggests total disinterest or even fully high. For me this often detaches her from positive feelings induced by listening to her music. Listening to music in a general sense brings me joy, makes me feel good. Even a song about lives horribly gone wrong, can make me feel good because of the energy it releases. Not Courtney Barnett, as emotions are not always shared with the listener. "We got angry, said some careless things, who was wrong remains unclear", sings Barnett, obviously about a break up. It can hardly get more personal, but also more detached from what has happened. There seems to be a huge barrier thrown up between the song and the actual occurrence.

'Turning Green' is an example of what Courtney Barnett is capable of. She has written a great song, one that could have been covered in guitars and melodies. She has decided to leave it almost bare, to let her singing carry it; until the guitar solo that is. This makes it fully an alternative rock song, an REM plus. It's not this part I think is impressive, that is her singing performance. More songs on the album are elementary, part electronic rhythms, baring my original negative feelings concerning Things Take Time, Take Time. All attention is put on the slacker tone of Courtney Barnett, at first making it impossible for me to get over it.

Luckily there was also a song like 'Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To'. With its The Byrds/REM like intro it pricks up the ears immediately. The song opens a doorway into the rest of the album, one that I for one used to keep listening and form another opinion than my original one.

Summing up, Things Take Time, Take Time is more in line with the first two albums, including the two EP compilation, by Courtney Barnett. My favourite remains 'Tell Me How You Really Feel', simply because its so much more alive. Time will tell where I'm going with the new album. Sometimes these things take time.

Wout de Natris