Angus & Julia Stone are an Australian
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
and
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...
group, formed in 2006 by brother and sister
Angus
Angus may refer to:
Media
* ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film
* ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record''
Places Australia
* Angus, New South Wales
Canada
* Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario
* East Angus, Quebec
Scotland
* An ...
and
Julia Stone. Angus & Julia Stone have released five studio albums: ''
A Book Like This
''A Book Like This'' is the first studio album by Australian singer-songwriter duo Angus & Julia Stone. It was released in September 2007 in Australia and debuted and peaked on the ARIA Charts at number 6.
The album was released in the UK throu ...
'' (2007), ''
Down the Way'' (2010), ''
Angus & Julia Stone
Angus & Julia Stone are an Australian folk and indie pop group, formed in 2006 by brother and sister Angus and Julia Stone. Angus & Julia Stone have released five studio albums: ''A Book Like This'' (2007), '' Down the Way'' (2010), '' Angus ...
'' (2014), ''
Snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
'' (2017) and ''Life Is Strange'' (2021). At the
ARIA Music Awards of 2010
The 24th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) are a series of award ceremonies which included the 2010 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine ...
, they won five awards from nine nominations: Album of the Year, Best Adult Alternative Album, Best Cover Art and Producer of the Year for ''Down the Way'', and Single of the Year for "
Big Jet Plane
"Big Jet Plane" is a song written by Australian singer and songwriter Angus Stone, originally recorded under the stage name "Lady of the Sunshine" for his 2009 album ''Smoking Gun''. It was then re-recorded the following year by Stone and his si ...
". The siblings have also issued solo albums.
History
Early years and musical style
Angus (b. 1986) and Julia (b. 1984) Stone were born in Sydney to Kim and John Stone, both of whom influenced their children's interest in music. Along with their older sister, Catherine, Julia and Angus grew up in the suburb of
Newport on Sydney's
Northern Beaches
The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), west to Middle Harbour and north to the entra ...
. They attended Newport Primary School and then
Barrenjoey High School.
During their teen years, Angus started writing pop songs.
After finishing school, Angus worked as a labourer and learned guitar while recuperating from a
snowboarding
Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympi ...
accident. During this time Julia taught trumpet.
Gap year
After travelling abroad, when she returned to Australia, Julia encouraged Angus to start performing.
By 2005 Angus was playing at
open mic
An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, usually taking place at night, in which audience members may perform on stage whether the ...
nights with Julia occasionally performing backing vocals. For their first such gig, at the Coogee Bay Hotel, they performed Angus' song, "Tears".
By that time, Julia was writing her own material and they played split sets, with each providing backing vocals for the other's material.
Collaboration
The siblings decided to collaborate on their musical endeavours as a duo in early 2006.
In terms of composing material, they each write on their own, then work together on structure and harmonies.
Australian music journalist,
Ed Nimmervoll
Edward Charles Nimmervoll (21 September 1947 – 10 October 2014) was an Australian music journalist, author and historian. He worked on rock and pop magazines ''Go-Set'' (1966–1974) and ''Juke Magazine'' (1975–92) both as a journalist a ...
, described their songwriting as: "Julia with her highly romantic confessional relationship songs, Angus with his more guarded lyrically, more directly pop-oriented songs".
They have distinctive vocal styles, according to ''
The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
''s Bernard Zuel, "
r voice has a fractured feel like
Jolie Holland
Jolie Holland is an American singer and performer who combines elements of folk, traditional, country, rock, jazz, and blues.
Career
Growing up in Houston, Texas, Jolie left in 1994, moving to Austin, New Orleans, and San Francisco before en ...
; his has a smoke-on-the-beach drawl". While Nimmervoll offered, "Angus has a
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...
style voice, in the high register, equally as suited to lead and harmony. Julia's is one of those girly, fragile theatrical voices very much in vogue in alt-folk these days. She'd struggle to distinguish herself against the competition, but alternating with Angus gives her the necessary platform of variety, and just as well, because the songs she takes charge of are such wonderful tales of forlorn reflection".
United Kingdom journalist Johnny Sharp of ''
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
* Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* ' ...
'' stated, "
st impressive, though, are the songs – simple but blindingly effective acoustic compositions, warm boy-girl harmonies and delicate, less-is-more arrangements. Resistance is surely futile". Lewis Bazley of inthenews.co.uk felt they had a "winning mix of Angus' Damien Rice-like lilting vocals and Julia's Bjork-esque warbling creating a sonic combination that lulls the listener into wistful contentment".
2006: ''Chocolates and Cigarettes'' and ''Heart Full of Wine'' EPs
In March 2006 Angus & Julia Stone began recording their debut extended play, ''
Chocolates and Cigarettes'', with Julia on vocals, guitar and trumpet; Angus on vocals and guitar; Mitchell "Mitch" Connelly (
The Beautiful Girls
The Beautiful Girls are an Australian roots music group founded in Sydney in 2001 by Mat McHugh, Clay MacDonald, and Mitchell Connelly. They have released three extended plays, '' Morning Sun'' (2002), ''Goodtimes'' (2002), and '' The Weight ...
) on drums and percussion; Clay MacDonald (The Beautiful Girls) on bass guitar; and Hanna Oblikov guested on cello.
The EP's title was provided by Julia, "I really like both ... But I'm trying to not like cigarettes. I only smoke now after I play gigs".
Connelly, who was Julia's then-boyfriend, and MacDonald had permanently left their band, The Beautiful Girls, to back the duo for live performances.
Their first single, "Paper Aeroplane", from the EP was played on Australian radio
in April including on
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
. That same month Angus & Julia Stone played at
The Great Escape Festival
The Great Escape Festival is a three-day music festival held in Brighton and Hove, England every year in May. It is operated by MAMA Festivals and showcases new music from a variety of genres. The festival was founded in 2006 and roughly hosts ...
.
At the end of July, the siblings played to two hundred people packed in a tiny tent at the
Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass (commonly referred to as Splendour) is an annual Australian music festival held at the North Byron Parklands in Yelgun, New South Wales. Since its inauguration, the festival has also been held in various locations near B ...
festival in
Byron Bay
Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a hea ...
.
By August they had signed a two-EP distribution deal with EMI Music in Australia and independent label
Independiente Records
Independiente is a British independent record label formed in 1997 after Andy Macdonald sold his first label Go! Discs to PolyGram in 1996 for a reported £30 million. The label, which is currently dormant, is a division of Concord Music.
The ...
in the United Kingdom and relocated to London.
On 26 August that year the six-track EP was officially released by
EMI Music
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
with Ian Prichett (The Beautiful Girls) producing.
While in the UK, they were invited into
Chris Potter's studio (
The Verve
The Verve were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Wigan in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones (musician), Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Simo ...
,
Richard Ashcroft
Richard Paul Ashcroft (born 11 September 1971) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and occasional rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band The Verve from their formation in 1990 until their original split in 1999. So ...
) to record.
Fran Healy from UK band
Travis had also heard their debut EP and invited them to his house to record.
The result of these two matchups was the duo's second EP, ''
Heart Full of Wine'', which also had six tracks, appeared on 3 February 2007. Again Connelly provided drums and percussion, but on bass guitar was James Perryman and on cello was Bethany Porter – both Angus and Julia also played harmonica.
At the end of 2006, the duo signed a worldwide publishing deal with
Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...
and
Creative Artists Agency
Creative Artists Agency LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. It is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous clients. In March 2016, CAA had 1,800 emplo ...
came on board as their UK-European agent.
2007–2009: ''A Book Like This''
![AngusAndJuliaStone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/AngusAndJuliaStone.jpg)
During their time in London, Healy helped Angus & Julia Stone with material which later become a part of their debut album, ''
A Book Like This
''A Book Like This'' is the first studio album by Australian singer-songwriter duo Angus & Julia Stone. It was released in September 2007 in Australia and debuted and peaked on the ARIA Charts at number 6.
The album was released in the UK throu ...
''.
With a producer to guide them, the siblings sat on Healy's lounge-room floor, continuing to record songs, using vintage guitars and microphones.
The rest of the tracks were recorded in their mother's lounge room back in Newport with Pritchett.
2007 commenced with the duo playing at January's
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of eac ...
.
Their single, "Paper Aeroplane", was listed at No. 43 on the
Triple J Hottest 100, 2006
The 2006 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on Australia Day, 26 January 2007. It is the fourteenth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as voted by listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J.
Voting began on 1 January ...
.
In February 2007 they played their first national Australian tour, which sold out. In the same month, ''Chocolates and Cigarettes'' and ''Heart Full of Wine'', were double-packed and released in Australia and the UK.
The double EP reached No. 12 on the UK
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
and their single, "Private Lawns", was named Single of the Week on
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
. It received a positive review from ''
The Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after be ...
'', which called it "
eir finest track
its cheeky toe-taping rhythm
simpossible to resist".
In late March that year, the group signed with the
William Morris Agency
The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent a ...
as their US agent. In May they played at
The Great Escape Festival
The Great Escape Festival is a three-day music festival held in Brighton and Hove, England every year in May. It is operated by MAMA Festivals and showcases new music from a variety of genres. The festival was founded in 2006 and roughly hosts ...
in Brighton, ''The Evening Standard'' reported, "Potentially chart-bound tracks were in far greater supply when Angus and Julia Stone took to the stage". In August they released "
The Beast" which in the top 40 of the
ARIA Singles Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
.
On 8 September the group followed with their debut studio album, ''A Book Like This'', which peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
[Peak chart positions in Australia:
* All except noted:
* ''Memories of an Old Friend'':
* "A Heartbreak":
* "Get Home": ] By 2008 it was certified platinum by ARIA for shipment of 70,000 units.
The group spent the rest of 2007 dividing their time between Australia and the UK. They toured around Australia and gigged extensively in the UK, Ireland and Scotland including support slots with
The Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band consisting of two brother-and-sister pairs, from Hanwell in west London. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their debut album titled ''The Magic Numbers'' on 13 June 2005. Their follow-up alb ...
and a winning display at the
Latitude Festival
The Latitude Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, near Southwold, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006 and has been held every year since, apart from 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 ...
.
They welcomed in 2008 by performing at the New Year's Eve
Falls Festival
Falls Music & Arts Festival (commonly known as Falls) is a multi-day music festival held annually in Lorne (Victoria), Marion Bay (Tasmania), Byron Bay (New South Wales) and Fremantle (Western Australia), Australia over the New Year's Eve ...
in Australia before heading back to the UK to support
Newton Faulkner
Sam Newton Battenberg Faulkner (born 11 January 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and musician from Reigate, Surrey. He is known for his percussive style of guitar playing.
In 2007 Faulkner's debut studio album ''Hand Built by Robots'' was ce ...
and
David Gray, as well as playing their own sold-out London shows at
Scala. Two of their tracks were listed on the
Triple J Hottest 100, 2007
The 2007 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on Australia Day, 26 January 2008. It was the fifteenth countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as chosen by the listeners of Australian radio station Triple J.
Voting began on 1 January 20 ...
, with "Wasted" at No. 31 and "
The Beast" at No. 45.
''A Book Like This'' was released in the UK in March 2008. In May they performed at the
Woodford Folk Festival
The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music and cultural festival held near the semi-rural town of Woodford, north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural events of its type in Australia. Every year ap ...
.
The UK press lauded the duo: ''
Uncut
Uncut may refer to:
* ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship
* ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997
* '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
'' magazine said they performed "Fragile, beautiful songs"; a reviewer for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' said "
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
fill
yheart to bursting point with joy". The second half of that year was filled with more touring including a support spot with
Martha Wainwright
Martha Wainwright (born May 8, 1976) is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She has released seven critically-acclaimed studio albums.
Wainwright is the daughter of musicians Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III a ...
across the UK and into continental Europe playing gigs to over 25,000 people. In October they issued another four-track EP, ''
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
'',
which included re-recorded versions from ''A Book Like This'' with lead vocals swapped from Julia to Angus for "All the Colours" (aka "Wasted") and "Johnny and June" ("Hollywood"), and from Angus to Julia for "Lonely Hands" ("Just a Boy") – a three-track version was released for the US market.
In March 2009, ''A Book Like This'' was released in the United States. The siblings supported
Brett Dennen
Brett Michael Dennen (born October 28, 1979) is an American folk/pop singer-songwriter from Central California. His seventh studio album, ''See the World'' was released in July 2021.
Early life
Dennen grew up in Central Valley, California in a s ...
around the US, then they performed on the
KCRW
KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programm ...
stage at
South by Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...
as well as their own US shows. By April, however, they decided to take a break from performing and recording together, Angus released his debut solo album, ''Smoking Gun'', under the pseudonym, Lady of the Sunshine.
His album reached the top 50 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
One of his tracks, "
Big Jet Plane
"Big Jet Plane" is a song written by Australian singer and songwriter Angus Stone, originally recorded under the stage name "Lady of the Sunshine" for his 2009 album ''Smoking Gun''. It was then re-recorded the following year by Stone and his si ...
", from ''Smoking Gun'' was later re-recorded by Angus & Julia Stone and released by the duo as a single in May 2010.
[.]
2009–2010: ''Down the Way'' and "Big Jet Plane"
![Angus & Julia Stone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Angus_%26_Julia_Stone.jpg)
Angus & Julia Stone spent most of 2009 writing, recording and self-producing their second studio album, ''
Down the Way''. The album was mixed by Kieran Kelly (
Midnight Youth
Midnight Youth were a New Zealand rock band formed in 2006. Their debut album, ''The Brave Don't Run'', was released in 2009 in New Zealand and Australia. The band subsequently toured and played festivals across Australasia, the United States ...
) at The Buddy Project in
Astoria, New York
Astoria is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens. Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City to the southwest, Sunnyside to the southeast, a ...
.
On 18 November 2009, the brother and sister appeared on Triple J's Dools show with
Scott Dooley and premiered their single, "And the Boys". They announce their second album, ''Down the Way'', was due in March 2010 and coincided with an Australian tour. After six months apart (Angus back in Australia, Julia in New York), they recorded the album in studios in
Sawmills
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
Cornwall England, Brooklyn in New York and with Govinda Doyle in
Coolangatta, Queensland
Coolangatta is a coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is the Gold Coast's southernmost suburb and it borders New South Wales. In the , Coolangatta had a population of 5,948 people.
Geography
Coolangatta and its ...
.
Angus described the album: "All the songs were written so far
part
Part, parts or PART may refer to:
People
*Armi Pärt (born 1991), Estonian handballer
* Arvo Pärt (born 1935), Estonian classical composer
*Brian Part (born 1962), American child actor
*Dealtry Charles Part (1882–1961), sheriff (1926–1927) a ...
that the styles and moods are really different". It debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
The lead single, "And the Boys", became the group's second entry into the ARIA Singles Chart top 50.
During April 2010 the duo toured the UK to sold-out venues, Katy Ratican of
Contactmusic.com
Contactmusic.com is an online magazine of cultural criticism based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, and ...
caught their performance at the Ruby Lounge in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, "a set led primarily by Julia, she had the greater presence of the duo throughout. With Angus appearing the most shy of the two, it was left to Julia to engage the audience with chat and it wasn't until later in the set that Angus' seemingly gentle nature was fully accepted".
Alexander Gunz described their gig in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
"
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
look exactly as they do in the press photos: a slightly pot-smoking Neo-Hippie couple. He with artfully excellent and fluffy hair under his hat, her with Edding-painted roses on her guitar and a long blue dress, which while dancing she lifts slightly with her fingertips".
The following month, the ''Big Jet Plane'' EP was released which included Julia singing a cover version of "
You're the One That I Want
"You're the One That I Want" is a song performed by American actor and singer John Travolta and Anglo-Australian singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John for the 1978 film version of the musical '' Grease''. It was written and produc ...
" from ''
Grease''.
In Australia, "Big Jet Plane", their highest charting single, peaked at No. 21.
It appeared at No. 20 on the
New Zealand Singles Chart
The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
,
No. 23 in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and top 40 on the
French Singles Chart
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
.
In an April 2010 interview with the Australian edition of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine, Julia revealed she had recorded a solo album in New York in late 2009.
Her song "This Love" appears in the Australian film ''
The Waiting City
''The Waiting City'' is a 2009 Australian film directed by Claire McCarthy. The film stars Joel Edgerton as Ben Simmons, Radha Mitchell as Fiona Simmons, Samrat Chakrabati as Krishna, and Isabel Lucas as Scarlett. The film's score was composed ...
''.
The album, ''The Memory Machine'', was released in a low-key fashion in September 2010.
She described it as "mellow" but darker and spookier in tone than the duo's work.
Due to her commitments with the group there were no solo tours to promote her album.
''Down the Way'' also charted in Europe where it peaked in the top 30 on the French Albums Chart and stayed in the top 200 for 86 weeks.
It reached the top 50 in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and Belgium;
and the top 100 in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and
The Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
At the
ARIA Music Awards of 2010
The 24th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) are a series of award ceremonies which included the 2010 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine ...
Angus & Julia Stone won 'Album of the Year' and 'Best Adult Alternative Album' for ''Down the Way'' and 'Single of the Year' for "Big Jet Plane", as well as Artisan Awards for 'Producer of the Year' and 'Best Cover Art' for their work on ''Down the Way''.
Their song "Big Jet Plane" was announced No. 1 on the
Triple J Hottest 100
The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music listener poll hosted by the publicly-funded, national Australian youth radio station, Triple J. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite Australian and alternative music of the ...
on
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Ja ...
(26 January) 2011.
2011–2013: Solo albums
![Julia Stone April 2012B](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Julia_Stone_April_2012B.jpg)
In an interview with Jason Treuen of ''Rolling Stone'' (Australia), Angus & Julia Stone confirmed they were writing material for a third album with Angus stating, "I want to write stuff that makes me wanna move, more groove-based stuff." They performed at the 2011 Falls Festivals and
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of eac ...
festivals in Australia, followed by the
Coachella festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. I ...
in California. During July that year, the band toured Europe for a month visiting Portugal, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy.
The pair planned to travel and holiday overseas for the rest of the year, while also writing and recording. According to Triple J, in December 2010, they aimed to release their new music at the end of 2011.
On 26 September 2011 the duo's song "Love Will Take You" was announced as the second track on the soundtrack for
''The Twilight Saga'' film, ''
Breaking Dawn – Part 1
Breaking or breakin' may refer to:
Arts
* Breakdancing (also breaking), an athletic style of street dance
* ''Breakin, a 1984 American breakdancing-themed musical film
* "Breakin, a twelfth-season episode of the American animated television se ...
''.
On the same day, the band was selected as a top ten finalist in
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
Iggy's 2011 Best New Band in the World! competition.
Their song, "For You" was featured multiple times in the first two seasons of the
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...
television show
Revenge (TV series)
''Revenge'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mike Kelley (writer), Mike Kelley and starring Madeleine Stowe and Emily VanCamp, which debuted on September 21, 2011, on American Broadcasting Company, ...
.
In May 2012 Julia told ''Rolling Stone'' (Australia) that the duo had shelved work on a third album, indefinitely: "It was too much to think we could only pick six songs each… We were both in a place where we really wanted creative space to go in whatever direction we wanted so we were like 'let's just take a year out'". She explained that those songs were unlikely to be heard, but maintained the group would reunite after their solo projects. That same month, Julia released her second solo album, ''By the Horns'',
which debuted at No. 11 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
She described writing the songs and temporarily parting with Angus, "
had already been working on a new record together but it didn’t feel right ... I was thinking 'I'll make it now and we'll figure out what happens when it happens'". "Then Angus and I were talking on the phone and he'd been working on more stuff on his own as well and we both just agreed – we were both in the same place, ready to put together a collection of our own songs". From late 2011 Angus had worked on his second solo album, ''Broken Brights'', which was released in July 2012, and reached No. 2.
He told Garin Fahlman of ''Vancouver Weekly'' that he had "discovered a lot about time ... Just in general. To take a step back and let something unfold and breathe and become ripe when it says it's time". In November 2012, Megan Sauers of ''Venture Mag'' reported that Angus & Julia Stone were due to tour Europe during January and February 2013.
In early December 2012 Julia and Angus each performed solo slots at
Homebake, Julia indicated further solo shows from mid-February 2013.
2014: Self-titled album
![Angus & Julia Stone 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Angus_%26_Julia_Stone_2014.jpg)
The duo began working with
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records.
Rubin helped popula ...
in Malibu during April 2014. On 17 April, Julia tweeted from her Twitter account, "Up at the studio in Malibu. Recording with me brethren and the man of wonder Rick for the new album." Rubin helped reunite the duo and co-produced the album.
The producer said of the experience: "This album is extraordinary; Angus and Julia are truly unique musicians. They are authentic and pure people who do things from the heart. I've never worked with anyone like them before." The album has been said to contain "blended
harmonies
In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...
..and more experimental guitar textures".
''
Angus & Julia Stone
Angus & Julia Stone are an Australian folk and indie pop group, formed in 2006 by brother and sister Angus and Julia Stone. Angus & Julia Stone have released five studio albums: ''A Book Like This'' (2007), '' Down the Way'' (2010), '' Angus ...
'' was released on 1 August 2014 in Australia through
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
Music Australia,
and on the same day in the United States through
American Recordings.
Its release was preceded by the singles "
Heart Beats Slow",
which peaked at No. 37 in Australia, and "A Heartbreak".
The
videos
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
for both songs as well as a video for "Get Home" were directed by
Jessie Hill
Jessie Hill (December 9, 1932 – September 17, 1996) was an American R&B and Louisiana blues singer and songwriter, best remembered for the classic song "Ooh Poo Pah Doo".
Life and career
Hill was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United Sta ...
.
The album is the highest-charting by the duo to date, reaching the top 10 in several countries including France, Germany, the Netherlands and New Zealand. With an average of 67 based on 7 reviews on review aggregator
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, ''Angus & Julia Stone'' received generally favorable critical reception.
2017: ''Snow''
Angus & Julia Stone's fourth studio album ''
Snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
'' was released on 15 September 2017. The album features the title track "
Snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
" and "
Chateau".
2021: ''Life Is Strange''
On 20 August 2021, Angus and Julia Stone released ''Life is Strange'', their first release through a new recording deal with BMG. The album is pitched as "unexpected, unguarded, unforgettable" and led by the single "Love Song".
The album was created as a soundtrack to the 2021 video game ''
Life Is Strange: True Colors''.
Discography
* ''
A Book Like This
''A Book Like This'' is the first studio album by Australian singer-songwriter duo Angus & Julia Stone. It was released in September 2007 in Australia and debuted and peaked on the ARIA Charts at number 6.
The album was released in the UK throu ...
'' (2007)
* ''
Down the Way'' (2010)
* ''
Angus & Julia Stone
Angus & Julia Stone are an Australian folk and indie pop group, formed in 2006 by brother and sister Angus and Julia Stone. Angus & Julia Stone have released five studio albums: ''A Book Like This'' (2007), '' Down the Way'' (2010), '' Angus ...
'' (2014)
* ''
Snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
'' (2017)
Awards and nominations
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
History
The inaugural 2006 awards were held at ...
) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
!
, -
,
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
, ''Life Is Strange''
, Best Independent Blues and Roots Album or EP
,
,
APRA Awards
The
APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the
Australasian Performing Right Association
APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...
(APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters".
, -
, rowspan="2" ,
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, , Angus & Julia Stone (
Angus Stone,
Julia Stone) , , Songwriter of the Year
, ,
, -
, "
Big Jet Plane
"Big Jet Plane" is a song written by Australian singer and songwriter Angus Stone, originally recorded under the stage name "Lady of the Sunshine" for his 2009 album ''Smoking Gun''. It was then re-recorded the following year by Stone and his si ...
" (Angus Stone, Julia Stone) , , Song of the Year
, ,
, -
, rowspan="3" ,
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
, , "Get Home" (Angus Stone, Julia Stone) , , Blues & Roots Work of the Year
, ,
, -
, rowspan="2" , "Heart Beats Slow" (Angus Stone, Julia Stone) , , Blues & Roots Work of the Year
, ,
, -
, Song of the Year , ,
, -
,
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, "Snow" (Angus Stone, Julia Stone)
, Song of the Year
,
, -
,
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, , "
Chateau" (Angus Stone, Julia Stone) , , Blues & Roots Work of the Year
, ,
, -
ARIA Awards
The
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...
are presented annually from 1987 by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...
(ARIA).
, -
, rowspan="6",
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, , "
The Beast" , , Breakthrough Artist – Single , ,
, -
, rowspan="3", ''
A Book Like This
''A Book Like This'' is the first studio album by Australian singer-songwriter duo Angus & Julia Stone. It was released in September 2007 in Australia and debuted and peaked on the ARIA Charts at number 6.
The album was released in the UK throu ...
'' , ,
Best Blues & Roots Album , ,
, -
,
Best Group , ,
, -
,
Breakthrough Artist – Album , ,
, -
, ''A Book Like this'' –IOSHVA , ,
Best Cover Art , ,
, -
, "Just a Boy" (
Angus Stone,
Julia Stone, Josh Groom , , Best Video , ,
, -
, rowspan="9",
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, , rowspan="3", ''
Down the Way'' , , Best Group , ,
, -
,
Album of the Year , ,
, -
,
Best Adult Alternative Album , ,
, -
, rowspan="2", ''Down the Way'' (Angus Stone, Julia Stone) , , Best Cover Art , ,
, -
,
Producer of the Year
The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non- classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors i ...
, ,
, -
, "
Big Jet Plane
"Big Jet Plane" is a song written by Australian singer and songwriter Angus Stone, originally recorded under the stage name "Lady of the Sunshine" for his 2009 album ''Smoking Gun''. It was then re-recorded the following year by Stone and his si ...
" , ,
Single of the Year , ,
, -
, "Big Jet Plane" (Kiku Ohe) , , Best Video , ,
, -
, rowspan="2", Down The Way , , Most Popular Australian Album , ,
, -
, Most Popular Australian Artist , ,
, -
, rowspan="2",
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, , rowspan="2", ''
Angus & Julia Stone
Angus & Julia Stone are an Australian folk and indie pop group, formed in 2006 by brother and sister Angus and Julia Stone. Angus & Julia Stone have released five studio albums: ''A Book Like This'' (2007), '' Down the Way'' (2010), '' Angus ...
'' , , Best Cover Artist , ,
, -
, Best Rock Album , ,
, -
, rowspan="3",
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, , rowspan="2", ''
Snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
'' , , Best Blues & Roots Album , ,
, -
, Best Independent Release , ,
, -
, "Chateau" , , Song of the Year , ,
, -
,
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
, , ''Life is Strange'' , ,
ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album
The ARIA Music Award for Best Original Soundtrack / Cast / Show Album is an award presented within the Fine Arts Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards. The ARIA Awards recognise "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres ...
, ,
, -
J Award
The
J Awards
The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J and which are judged by the music and on-air teams from radio stations Triple J, ...
are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
's youth-focused radio station
Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
. They commenced in 2005.
, -
,
J Awards of 2008
The J Award of 2008 is the fourth annual J Awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station ...
, "Just a Boy"
, Australian Video of the Year
,
, -
,
J Awards of 2010
The J Award of 2010 is the sixth annual J Awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station ...
, ''Down the Way''
, Australian Album of the Year
,
Helpmann Awards
The
Helpmann Awards
The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001.
The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical t ...
is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group ''Live Performance Australia'' since 2001.
Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
!
, -
,
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, ''Down the Way Tour''
, Helpmann Award for Best Australian Contemporary Concert
,
,
, -
National Live Music Awards
The
National Live Music Awards
The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of the Australian live scene – recognising the best vocal talents and musicians alongside ...
(NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
, -
,
National Live Music Awards of 2019
The National Live Music Awards of 2019 are the 4th annual National Live Music Awards.
The nominations were announced on 22 October 2020 and the awards ceremony was held on 4 December 2020. For the first time ever, all State and Territory catego ...
, Themselves
, International Live Achievement (Group)
,
, -
References
External links
*
*
Live Chaton CanalChat.com with Angus & Julia Stone, Paris, France, 17 May 2010 (in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Angus and Julia
APRA Award winners
ARIA Award winners
Australian indie folk groups
Australian indie pop groups
Australian musical duos
Male–female musical duos
Musical groups established in 2006
Musical groups from Northern Beaches
Nettwerk Music Group artists
Sibling musical duos
Universal Music Group artists