Angus & Julia Stone - Down the Way

26 February 2010 by Max Easton

Having released debut album ‘A Book Like This’ to rapturous reception, the expectations surrounding Angus & Julia Stone’s second album ‘Down the Way’ have been massive. As Max Easton writes, you’re not likely to be disappointed.

How do you follow up a debut album that gained 6 ARIA nominations and platinum certification without completely dropping the ball? This was the situation that Sydney duo Angus & Julia Stone faced after the 2007 release of ‘A Book Like This,’ an album which was incredibly well loved across the planet off the back of the two equally as adored EP’s that preceded it. The answer for Angus & Julia was to take what they had done across the world, spending over two years abroad in Europe and North America. It was in various locations on this tour where ‘Down the Way’ was created; from a Cornwall sawmill, to Brooklyn, London, Queens and a water tank in Coolangatta, they had crafted their second album…and now it’s about to be released to find your ears.

One of the most powerful changes from this album to the one prior is the amount of development that these two have found musically. Angus’ Lady of the Sunshine side-project has influenced his songwriting to no end, whilst Julia seems more in touch with her own songwriting prowess, maintaining the bittersweet innocence of the songs we’ve came to know, but layering them with a darker atmosphere of strings, picked guitars and piano. The entirety of the album feels like it’s been set in an entirely different era to ‘A Book Like This.’ Whilst the cherry-sweetened undertones of the previous album are still present in tracks like ‘On the Road’ and ‘Walk it Off,’ there’s that aforementioned dark edge coating the album that provides an incredible depth of sound. ‘Hold On’ and ‘Yellow Brick Road’ are prime examples of this; proof of how far Angus & Julia have come since they first peeped their music through the cracks with ‘Mango Tree’ and ‘Private Lawns.’

‘Down the Way’ is a striking release. Having been produced by Angus and Julia themselves, you get the impression that they’ve not only found the peak of their sound, but found it independently of outside tinkering. The songs that they’ve written may not be their most catchy and radio-friendly, but they’re more wholesome; with more feeling and depth than anything they’ve ever put to paper in the past. A part of this comes from the new sound that Angus has found and totally made his own from Lady of the Sunshine (an album which remains as one of the greatest pieces of music he’s ever touched), and another part seems to come from the  discoveries that they’ve made on their travels across the world. With this album, Angus & Julia Stone have set a new benchmark for themselves, a benchmark that you will most definitely be satisfied with if you drag it over the counter of your nearest record store.

‘Down the Way’ by Angus & Julia Stone is out March 12, 2010 on Capitol Records.

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