 |
| Rolling Stone |
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice (Matador Records)
Released: October 13th, 2017
Alternative-folk and indie-rock notables, Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile, are back with a collaborative record, Lotta Sea Lice. A combination that is awesome on paper comes to fruition with this new release.
Both artists had albums that dropped in 2015 that were extremely enjoyable and catchy. This time around, they team up for a 44 minute stretch of alternative-folk tunes. Ranging from slow jams to some indie-rock barn burners, this album includes some solid songs with a touch of folk on every track.
The singles from this record include "Over Everything" and "Continental Breakfast".
Hands down my favorite track from this album, "Over Everything" is six minutes full of cheery and light alternative rock. The guitar riffs are smooth and clean throughout. The simple rhythm section allows Barnett and Vile to flex their guitar muscles as they jam out for a majority of the songs; using different pickups and filters to layer the track.
"Continental Breakfast" is another song I enjoyed because of the combination of the twangy electric guitar with the acoustic performance. They play off each other perfectly while riding on top of the soothing drum pattern. Personally, I find their vocals very strange in their own right, but in collaboration they tend to work off each other nicely. That isn't only seen on this track but throughout Lotta Sea Lice.
Other highlights from the album include "Fear Is Like a Forest", "Blue Cheese" and "Peepin' Tom".
You can truly feel the energy of the collaboration on "Fear Is Like a Forest". A simple start to the tune eventually blooms into a beautifully written jam with a distorted guitar solo. The vocal section that appears around the 2:50 mark is one the catchiest moments on the whole album. All sections of the song combine into one another to form a gorgeous track.
The guitar melody on "Peepin' Tom" is flawless. The combination of that performance with Barnett's vocal is an enjoyable experience. Reminds me of something from Vile's last project but with an acoustic angle. Great track.
Overall, I feel like this album was 'OK'. Outside of the notables I mentioned, this album left a lot to be desired. I feel like some songs could have been pushed to another level to make them more intriguing or exciting. Also, most songs on this project are around the 4-5 minute mark, so sometimes the consistent melodies and looping styles can bore the listener halfway through. I also feel like some of the tracks were possible leftovers from Vile's last project, maybe, maybe-not.
On the other hand, the themes throughout the project were consistent and direct. You could tell each song was from Barnett and Vile; it sounded original. The guitar work throughout was the highlight of the album. The rhythm sections were very simple and dumb-downed, allowing the guitar work from Barnett and Vile to shine through.
This was a collaboration that needed to happen and it worked in their favor. As a full-length project, this wasn't my favorite, but it definitely had some highlights that are must listens.
Genre: Alternative/Alt-Rock/Folk/Folk-Rock/Alt-Folk/Soft Rock/Soft-Indie
Rating: 5/10
Fav Songs: Over Everything, Continental Breakfast, Fear Is Like a Forest, Peepin' Tom, Blue Cheese
Comments
Post a Comment