Angus & Julia Stone - Down The Way
Review by Jack Foley
BROTHER and sister duo Angus & Julia Stone seem to go from strength to strength. Since hitting the ground running with their 2007 debut LP, A Book Like This, they’ve been embraced by Australia, been featured on several TV and movie soundtracks and continue to expand their creative horizon.
They remain an aquired taste by virtue of their often dusky, sparse style, and their insistence on trading vocals for each song – hence Angus sings one, Julia the other, and sometimes they combine. Angus is arguably the more endearing presence… his laidback, soft style evoking comparisons with everyone from Simon & Garfunkel to Joshua Radin and Josh Pyke.
Julia, on the other hand, is more pronounced… a childlike innocence reverberating around her pained delivery that can become a little too kooky at times, or Bjork-like at others.
But when they get things right, they combine to deliver some majestic songs… folksy, emotive and occasionally quite cinematic. With Down The Way, they’ve even stepped up the surrounding instrumentals to deliver an LP of greater sweep and more easy accessability.
Several of the songs on the LP are as good as we’ve heard from them… and that’s saying something.
The rock-folk elements are, by turns, embracing of the California folk scene with elements of Dylan (the harmonica-led Hush being a prime example), Fleetwood Mac and Neil Young all present and correct. And yet, the acoustic background of more contemporary performers such as Joshua Radin and Josh Pyke is also evident.
The album as a whole is the type of idyllic offering that’s great just to kick back with on a lazy day and really listen to – the measure of its timeless quality. You’ll enjoy and be rewarded for taking the time to hang out with it.
Highlights come thick and fast, and are delivered by both siblings at various points. The aforementioned Hush is one… a song steeped in songwriting values that is set against some lovely rolling piano chords, a subtle back-beat and some really nice boy-girl vocal interplay. It contains a laidback romanticism too.
Yellow Brick Road is another gem, delivered superbly by Angus, that slow-builds from simple acoustic backing into a quietly confident rock-out that is chock full of classic American songwriting values, including lines such as “I lost my heart in California”. It’s very Neil Young-esque.
Album opener Hold On, on the other hand, demonstrates their ever more burgeoning sound… setting Julia’s ethereal vocals against a stark but telling synth loop that even develops into a moody, string-backed chorus. It’s a magnificent start… sad but strangely inspiring.
Angus’ style of yearning, meanwhile, is more forceful on songs like Big Jet Plane, opening with the “I wanna hold her, I wanna kiss her… she drive me crazy, she drive me crazy” and proceeding to deliver a thrilling, strings-backed rocker.
There’s a serene, dream-like quality to the reflective Santa Monica Dream, which returns Julia’s bittersweet innocence back to the fore, and a playful quality surrounding her delivery on the charming, almost breezy And The Boys, a former single and subsequent highlight.
The banjo-led On The Road, meanwhile, is a superbly laidback road-trip of a song that draws more on the dueting capabilities of the siblings, while gradually drawing in some forceful guitar licks. It’s a soothing song to take a journey on.
Just occasionally, the stoner tendencies, or their less structured style, comes to the fore… with songs like Draw Your Swords or For You reminding the listener of why they remain so under-rated. They’re certainly not for every taste, and mainstream listeners may quickly tire.
But their beauty lies in their ability to slowly win you over, with slow-building, layered offerings such as I’m Not Yours underlining their ability to really creep into your subconscious, with finely constructed, yet intimately delivered slow-burners yielding great emotional rewards.
In short, Angus & Julia Stone have delivered a sophomore album that, quite possibly, manages to surpass the achievements of their excellent debut. It’s time to get acquainted with them real soon.
Download picks: Hold On, Big Jet Plane, Santa Monica Dream, Yellow Brick Road, And The Boys, Hush, On The Road, I’m Not Yours
Track listing: