Private Lawns

INDEPENDIENTE

An Australian brother and sister duo who deal in laid-back acoustic folk pop jangle, Angus & Julia Stone are an act who instantly have you throwing around words like pleasant and nice.  A charming and breezy outfit who at their best recall the wonderful Frente and at their worst the dull Jack Johnson;  Angus & Julia Stone aren't likely to exactly set the world on fire, setting their sights on middle of the road style gentle pop.

Taken from their CHOCOLATE & CIGARETTES Mini LP, PRIVATE LAWNS sees see the duo gently fingerpicking acoustic guitars and crooning wistfully, you can practically smell the campfire burning here; Julia Stone handling vocal duties, her voice a gorgeous and swooning presence; echoes of Angie Hart and Joni Mitchell floating in the breeze.

With PRIVATE LAWNS Angus & Julia Stone make for pleasantly laid back listening.  Well worth your time.

BIOGRAPHY

Angus & Julia Stone 

There’s an unspoken connection that can only come from sharing a family’s history. And on Chocolates and Cigarettes, the debut EP from Newport Australia’s Angus and Julia Stone, this unique bond is more than evident. 

This brother and sister duo take a lifetime of shared experience and create music that resonates with emotion and honesty. A pure sound that says a lot without trying... 

Here on their debut EP, they showcase their considerable talents on six songs filled with sun kissed harmonies, evocative lyrics and performed with a laid back, effortless charm. The shuffling drumbeats and percussion are provided by the backbone of the group Mitch Connelly with Angus and Julia taking care of alternate lead vocals and guitar. 

Both Angus and Julia have distinctive vocal styles, perhaps best described by The Sydney Morning Herald’s Bernard Zuel, one of the band’s biggest champions. "Her voice has a fractured feel like Jollie Holland; his has a smoke-on-the-beach drawl" he noted following a performance by the duo at his home. Triple J radio are also featuring Angus and Julia’s debut on high rotation and word is rapidly spreading following a series of acclaimed performances in their home land. These shows prompted critics to note that not only were they “unnaturally good” but “they have done more than warm the room – they have won it hands down”. 

Angus and Julia’s decision to collaborate was taken just four months ago. Prior to that both had performed as solo artists, principally at open mic nights, but with each using the other as a backing partner. Ultimately they came up with the same idea, “why don’t we play together? It kind of made a lot of sense”. The majority of the songs on Chocolate And Cigarettes were recorded at their home where they played and recorded everything live. In terms of composing the material, they write on their own, then work together on structure and harmonies. It’s clearly a process that works. This homespun ethic extends to their videos and artwork too. Mitch Connelly acts as the band’s official photographer and his brother Oshy looks after their website and artwork. The band also directed and shot their own video for Paper Aeroplane and this can be viewed now on their MySpace page. The duo also take care of their own merchandise, screen printing their own t-shirts with their own designs. 

Angus, Julia and Mitch will be making their first visit to the UK in August and will be playing selective dates ahead of the EP’s release on October 2nd. Rough Trade have already heralded the duo as one to watch making favourable comparisons with the likes of Portishead, Damien Rice and Paul Simon. 

Creating evocative, emotional music that’s personal and heartfelt, Angus and Julia are set to make waves here in the UK in the very near future. 

LINE UP

Angus Stone

Julia Stone

DISCOGRAPHY

CHOCOLATES & CIGARETTES (Independiente>2006)

Private Lawns

Mango Tree

All Of Me

Paper Aeroplane

Babylon

Chocolates & Cigarettes

PRIVATE LAWNS (Independiente>2007)

Private Lawns

LINKS

Angus & Julia Stone>www.angusandjuliastone.co.uk

FURTHER LISTENING

Frente

Joni Mitchell

Jaca