So why is Courtney Barnett’s The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
Through an intoxicating blend of indie rock and quirky singer-songwriter sensibilities, Courtney Barnett conjures a dreamy vibe that never fails to delight me.
The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas is an album that puts me in the mind of sipping beer at a bar, neither of which is an activity that I get up to much these days, as aside! And there’s something about Barnett’s playful, contemplative voice that only enhances this mood.
“History Eraser” is my favorite song. It’s also arguably the “hardest” rock song on the album, though that only puts it at about “medium rock” as far as rock music goes, soft versus hard-wise. Most importantly, it’s a pure delight: I love how much we can hear Barnett’s Aussie accent here, and the sliding guitar chords hearken to Sheryl Crow’s best work.
And the lyrics are pure poetry, beautiful and evocative.
You said, “We only live once”
So we touched a little tongue
And instantly I wanted to
I lost my train of thought
And jumped aboard the Epping as the doors
Were slowly closing on the world
The wonderfully titled “Don’t Apply Compression Gently” falls into that dreamier vibe I mention above, and which carries through much of the album. The vocals and guitar hook both are a little bit playful and all kinds of enchanting.
I’ll rely a little bit on my best 1,000 albums ever research phase notes here and relay that I noted that “Lance Jr.” is a bit “chill Breeders” while “Scotty Says” is a bit “chill Fastbacks.” Both are big time compliments, no bits about it.
And “Avant Gardener” has an unusual, slightly art rock quality, but it totally works on the strength of Courtney Barnett’s completely convincing vocals, while a guitar line sails around in the background. And the chorus is (there’s that word again) all kinds of dreamy.
Some stats & info about Courtney Barnett – The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas on
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Indie Rock, Rock Music, Singer Songwriter, Pop Music, Lo-Fi
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4 out of 5 stars
- When was The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas on released? 2013
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #196 out of 1,000
Courtney Barnett’s The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Courtney Barnett’s The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
In my brain I rearrange the letters on the page to spell your name.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.