Down the way

Artist: Angus & Julia Stone
Label: Eclecto Groove Records
Website: www.angusandjuliastone.com.au

Stone cold sober

Angus and Julia Stone’s self-imposed hiatus from performing inadvertently led over time to their third release: Down the way.

It’s a labour of love for the brother and sister duo who share a familial talent both for performance and also understanding the knack to crafting well-composed music in general.

Interestingly this album’s flavour is gathered from a range of origins. Recording for the thirteen tracks took place not in one studio but many different locations around the globe. ‘The devil’s tears’ and ‘Yellow Brick Road’ are but two which were conceived down past Stonehenge where Angus and Julia fell in love with ‘Sawmills’ a studio in a converted sawmill of Scotland accessible only by boat.

Down the way boasts the beautiful Angus and Julia style we’ve come to love from previous albums. ‘Black Crow’ and ‘And the Boys’ (coincidently the first two singles from the release) lend themselves to being clever little folk pop ditties not unlike their earlier hits. One is sung by Julia (‘And the Boys’) and the other features Angus.

Permeating throughout the album is a feeling that the album is equal parts Angus and equal parts Julia, writing duties and both new to producing this time, the fruit of this relationship leads to the conclusion their bond as siblings and musical partners is well and truly cemented.

At times the album errs on the side of meandering off the path as it’s quite a long listening experience and it is noticeable that tracks aren’t ending when you’d expect them to, however overall it’s a strong offering which will see them secure their hold on the already romanced audience they have been wooing since their beginnings some years ago.

Angus and Julia Stone are taking their album Down the way and on the road this month; visit www.angusandjuliastone.com.au for tour info.

Ruth Bailey