Nothing new, but I wanted to highlight what is easily one of my favorite songs of this adolescent year.

Aussie song-writer Courtney Barnett first turned heads in late 2013 with Avant Gardner, a tune that serves as a fitting introduction for the style she has subsequently developed over two albums. On it she sings: “It’s a Monday, it’s so mundane. What exciting things will happen today?” Highlighting excitement in an otherwise humdrum existence is the unique voice that Barnett owns. Listening to her music is sort of like watching a Coen Brothers movie, in that she brings to life the surreal qualities of the generally unremarkable.

Like Avant Gardner, Depreston is a striking, poignant song. Which is impressive considering the subject matter is buying real estate in the suburbs. She finds a way to squeeze every ounce of life out of her surroundings. After describing the neighborhood and house in scattered detail, Barnett launches in to a daydream, singing: “If you’ve got a spare half a million, you could knock it down and start rebuildin.'” She repeats this phrase six times over the course of a minute, before finishing out the track with a meandering guitar solo that lets you settle in to that daydream with her. NL