This album starts off with “Over Everything”, and it’s the sort of sweet and breezy intro I was hoping I would hear. Kurt sounds at his coolest, and Courtney sounds as sweet and as endearing as ever. I love how these two artists have always had such a way of finding things they love in small details, and here is no different. But I think the real story on this entire album is just how much chemistry these two have. Kurt and Courtney find so much in observational lyrics and offbeat anecdotes, and that’s what we’re getting here. Instrumentally, I feel like these two are deep in their comfort zone, but it’s incredibly charming. I love the tales of Kurt and Courtney at a young age, and how much they’ve grown. “Over Everything” is a wonderful opening track, and a seriously top-notch Singer/Songwriter track. Then we have “Let It Go”, and I hope you guys are geared up for this very hazy, breezy Indie Folk track because this sound makes up the album. Kurt and Courtney have this sort of “He Said, She Said” sort of thing going on here. But honestly, it TOTALLY works out for them and quite frankly, it’s adorable. I love just the way their voices intertwine as well on the choruses. Overall, “Let It Go” is very decent. It’s nothing out of the ordinary for either of them, but it’s smooth and wonderful to listen to. Now, just when I got done saying that there wasn’t going to be much venturing into new territory, we get “Fear Is Like A Forest”. This track is a hard left turn from what we’ve got so far, and honestly, it’s mind-blowing. I love this very dark, moody, bluesy feel. Courtney here sounds so rugged, it’s a great sound for her. She’s the real star here, with Kurt sort of backing her up occasionally. But the duo continues to have stunning chemistry. Not to mention, the instrumentals are just so intense and raw sounding. Kurt and Courtney’s vocals are just so haunting and hypnotic, and overall this track is my pick for one of the best here by far.
The very downtrodden, gloomy vibe of this album continues in a big way with “Outta The Woodwork”. Now, this one is an early track that Courtney came out with, but obviously, Kurt is taking the reigns on this one. However, his very cool, low-key voice works with the vibe of this track so wonderfully. I feel like, for him, this was the perfect track of hers that he could have covered. I also love some of the heavier guitars here, to the point where they actually end up coming off like one of Kurt’s solo tracks. Courtney here does a great job of backing Kurt up with a series of very breezy vocals of her own. But this continues to be seriously, a very enjoyable album, and this is a big stand out for me. Then we have “Continental Breakfast”, which isn’t nearly as downtrodden and bluesy. On the other hand, this is actually really charming and almost a little quirky. It’s just further proof that Kurt and Courtney have the Singer/Songwriter formula down to a T. Kurt’s got some incredible one-liners here, and I just love to hear them go back and forth in “He Said, She Said” fashion. But then end up bringing it together for a sweet and harmonious chorus that’s really sweet. “Continental Breakfast” is charming, beautiful, and all around a wonderful duet. Then we have “On Script” which quite frankly turns up the volume a little to be a little more of an electric cut. But I feel like this may be the weakest track here. The riff is just sort of sloppy and much less concrete than earlier tracks. Courtney’s performance here is quite frankly bizarre, as I don’t think I’ve ever heard her this unbelievably bored. “On Script” is all over the place. The instrumental I feel like is pulling in about 8 different directions, and Kurt’s influence isn’t felt at all. This overall is just a bizarre track that really doesn’t fit this album art all. By the end of it, it just sorts of melts into this awful mush that doesn’t do anything for anyone.
Kurt and Courtney get their act together for the end of the album though. “Blue Cheese”, compared to the following track has a much more upbeat feel, which is something we haven’t got that much of a feel for here. Now, I just really love all the quirky one-liners and just how much character Courtney and Kurt show off. Not to mention, they just seem like they’re having so much fun on “Blue Cheese”. Some of the melodies here are seriously top notch, and the duet vocals come off really nicely. It never gets that far away from the sort of bluesy vibe, however, and that’s just fine by me. I know this probably goes without saying, but I seriously hope we hear more from these two in the future. We get another cover up next with “Peepin’ Tom”, and this one is an early Kurt track. But Courtney’s very somber performance on this one honestly brings this up to the next level. Between that and the very soulful, classy guitar playing, this is an absolute mammoth of a track. Courtney has taken Kurt’s classic and given it an entirely new spin. But in a way, that’s what this album is all about. The tracks on this album are really pushing these two to their absolute best. Not to mention, these atmospheres are incredibly intimate, and really just make the performances of Kurt and Courtney that much stronger. “Untogether” is our finale here, and is once again a sort of quirky Folk duet. And for the most part, it’s really nothing we haven’t heard here. But sadly, I don’t get any real closure from this. It’s certainly still really sweet, and some of these duet melodies are incredible. But I just wish I got more of a finale feel from this. Outside of that, these two have such chemistry.
Rating : 8.1/10
Give A Listen To: "Over Everything", "Fear Is Like A Forest", "Outta The Woodwork", "Peepin' Tom"
Genre: Indie Folk / Indie Rock / Folk Rock
If You Dig This, Check Out: Kurt Vile - "Smoke Ring For My Halo", Courtney Barnett - The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas
Overall Thoughts: Overall, I really couldn't have asked for much more from this album. Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett are two of the best Singer/Songwriter's in the world at the moment, and this LP just solidifies that even more. But outside of that, this is a sweet, charming Folk Rock album. The two Indie Darlings have incredible chemistry with one another, I just sort of wish this was a little longer.
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