A Sea of Split Peas - Courtney Barnett

I seem to spend my whole life going backwards. At least I do when it comes to listening to and collecting music. And this, I fear, is not an uncommon state for those with the affliction as me. It is inevitable that, upon the 'discovery' of a new favourite bit of music that the gear is rammed into reverse and the next period is spent hoovering up the bits that you've missed. And it can be quite time consuming. Good grief I remember the summer that I discovered U2 and the exhausting trawl through their back catalogue. It was quite expensive. And time consuming. It's different now of course, with a job and online music it can be done in a matter of an hour or so and without having to leave the comfort of your armchair. Or sofa. But at the rate of a CD per month it needs a little more devotion to the cause.

At least in the case of Courtney Barnett I didn't have far to go. One album or, if you're being pedantic, a collection of two EPs. Either way it was a short journey from her latest release 'Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit', the one that grabbed my attention with its low-fi sound, witty lyrics and hooks, to 'A Sea of Split Peas'. A debut album of sorts. OK, sorry compilation of EPs.

It's refreshing to hear in an age of meticulously honed, polished studio music that there is still room for some cool guitar pop-rock with intelligent lyrics. Nowhere is this more evident than on 'Avant Gardener' which tells the (presumably true) story of being stung whilst doing some weeding and ending up in hospital. 

Then there is the pop stomp of 'David', harking back to the hey-day of 70s glam rock but without the glitter and platform shoes. I suppose there is more than a hint of Suzy Quattro to the driving riff.

Elsewhere there are tints of Nirvana, the Cure and even Blur. The opening chord sequence to 'Lance Jr' wouldn't sound out of place on 'Nevermind', albeit one of the quieter tracks. 

The laconic vocal delivery won't be everyone's cup of tea but it is perfectly suited to the music and self referential lyrics. And give it a chance, after a couple of plays the harmonies start to stick and I guarantee you'll be singing the lyrics in your head for weeks to come.