Angus & Julia Stone | Angus & Julia Stone | Rating: 9/11 |
Release Date: August 1, 2014
If only all siblings sounded as good as Angus & Julia Stone sound together on their third full length record. After three years of separation and solo operations taking place, the duo has been wrangled up by infamous ringmaster and producer Rick Rubin. The self-titled record is packed with mellow jams, smooth lyrical flow and wave-like grooves that call for some light two-stepping and illicit fun. This indie-alternative duo is sure to please the music aficionado in everyone.
Whether or not you’re familiar with Angus & Julia Stone, this is a record worth picking up. Each track exhibits a fun, laid back nature while maintaining some originality that allows it to stand on its own. The musical aesthetics of each song are like a perfectly seasoned meal: every pluck on the strings, every quarter note and every splash of the high hats is to perfection. The opening track, “A Heartbreak,” is one of the best songs on the record. If you’re a singles buyer, buy this one. The track starts off with Angus and Julia singing together with his folk-like voice and her innocent sounding one. “I met your parents / they were lying about falling in love,” the two sing addressing young love and the issues young love faces with family and reality. It sounds simple, but the song approaches love in a non-whiney, non-Romeo and Juliet voice.
Draw the shades, turn the dimmer switch down and light a joint to the track “Crash and Burn.” Not that I am saying you should do drugs, it’s just the feel of the song as hum-like vocals sing, “When you run out / I can bring some more.” It’s a mellow track led by Angus and light piano tapping with minimal ambient sounds in the background. With a reflecting and somber tone to it, along with some blues-level riffs, the Zen-like track is pleasing for relaxation and romance simultaneously.
Angus & Julia Stone can be summed up in one word: charming. It’s a record that is as behooving to indie music lovers as it is to alternative rock lovers. Each track is a little different from the last, but not so far off that you wonder, “What the hell?”