Aussie brother-sister duo Angus & Julia Stone may have been making music together for a few years now, but they were new to this reviewer. If ‘And The Boys’ is anything to go by, I’ve been missing out; Julia’s sweetly skewed vocals – kinda CocoRosie, a little Martha Wainwright – are a perfect fit for this dreamy pop love song. The lyrics are spot on too; ‘There’s gold falling from the ceiling of this world / Falling from the heartbeat of this girl’ may not sound particularly special when taken out of context but trust me, they work. Nor do the B-sides disappoint, with the sparse, acoustic folk sound of ‘Change’ and ‘Take You Away’s swelling strings demonstrating that Angus & Julia Stone aren’t one-trick ponies when it comes to song writing. Ethereal, heartfelt and downright lovely stuff; highly recommended so long as you’re not the sort who bleeds from the ears at the first hint of tweecore.
Considering he’s on record as a self-confessed “grumpy, depressing sod when it comes to writing songs”, Liam Frost’s latest single sure is perky sounding. Taken from last year’s album ‘We Ain’t Got No Money, Honey, But We Got Rain’, ‘Your Hand In Mine’ sees the Mancunian sharing vocal duties with folk-rock princess Martha Wainwright, whose smoky sound goes well with Frost’s Gallagheresque tones. While the pair trade verses, the tune itself rattles along at a breakneck tempo, spurred on by exuberant drums, doo-wop backing and a toe-tappingly infectious piano hook that is still bouncing around my head trying to find the way out. This reviewer’s always been a sucker for a spot of ADHD in his music and ‘Your Hand In Mine’ is nothing if not genki, energetically bouncing up and down on the toes of its miserablist brother and sisters. Uncomplicated, catchy and fun – what’s not to like?
