A few of my domestic readers will remember "Big Jet Plane" from a couple of years ago. Many more may know of the Stone siblings from a song in last year's Twilight movie, Breaking Bad...no... News...uh, no, Dawn. As much as I hate to admit it, that fact is most likely what is stirring international interest in the kids' solo efforts. Julia's has been out for two months and hasn't received a peep of notice in North America. Damn shame, too, because this is a fine record for a glass or two of wine in a quiet room or that light buzz from your favorite combustible while seated under headphones. Your music software will dub it "folk." I labeled it "Australiana" two years ago. "...Horns" is a subtle record with a few strings and horns included, and features Julia's fragile, breathy voice. One of my first notations suggested that Decemberists fans would appreciate this album. Stevie Nicks fans would understand why I declared this to be a lost Fartwood Mac song...
Ah, hell, look what I found. Can I call it or what?
The best track is a short song that opens with a Floyd-ish "Breathe" riff and morphs into Mr. Young's "Down By The River," inclusive of the wild-ass guitar ramblings at the end.
"By The Horns" gets better with repeated spins, a sign of an educated recording. The only negative is its length (38 minutes) and price. Why is it $3 more than label mate and brother Angus' 61-minute set of brilliance?
More than seven years of professional radio experience and over twenty years in music retailing have provided many opportunities to introduce friends, family, co-workers and customers to great music in four different decades. Out of the biz now for more than five years, I still seek out new music to add to my enormous collection. Most in my age group gave up on finding new music years ago. To quote a line from Crack the Sky, "Why don't they make music for us anymore?" Well, they do, and I share my discoveries in a manner that is intended for those who know me, but can be appreciated by you who do not. I am not a reveiwer paid to have a piece available upon a recording's release, I write only after several listens and sometimes several weeks of spins. Feel free to comment, suggest, and enjoy!
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