Angus & Julia Stone – Karaoke Bar

Twenty years ago, Angus and Julia Stone started with a simple EP in their parents’ living room in Sydney, and now they are already up to their seventh studio album. That’s no small feat for a brother and sister who once simply sat around jamming together without looking for anything more behind it. They scored a number one album with “Down The Way”, won five ARIA Awards and even worked with Rick Rubin. With “Karaoke Bar”, they write the next chapter, and it is clear that these two still have a taste for adventure.

The album was written and recorded while travelling, in Greece, France and Australia, and you can hear it. There is a loose, sun-drenched energy in this record that you don’t often encounter among artists who have been around for so long. The title track “Karaoke Bar” was created on the Greek island of Hydra, near Leonard Cohen’s former home, and is about that typically American, or rather universal, idea that an evening singing with strangers brings you closer together than anything else. The song even contains a nod to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”, and it simply works, it feels like a tribute rather than a cheap trick.

Further along the record is “Monroe”, a song about how people from the outside can seem very different from what is going on inside, with Marilyn Monroe as the perfect example. “The Start” has a more cheerful rhythm and Julia’s voice sounds liberated here, as if she finally doesn’t have to think for a moment. “Strangely Strangely” goes in the other direction, with Angus at the helm in a calmer, nocturnal atmosphere that you can almost smell. And then there is “Cowgirls Lover Boi”, perhaps the strangest song these two have ever made. It has a kind of Southern Gothic country groove and Angus sings with a distorted, almost cartoon-like voice that you would expect from Gorillaz rather than this duo. It’s a gamble that not everyone will appreciate, but one that shows they are not afraid to step outside their comfort zone.

Not everything on “Karaoke Bar” is equally strong. Some of the songs in the middle of the record lean so heavily on that same dreamy, mid-tempo atmosphere that they start to blend into one another, and as a result you occasionally lose your attention. That’s a shame, because when they seek out contrast, as with “Cowgirls Lover Boi” or the energy of “The Start”, the record really comes to life.

Still, this is an album that leaves you feeling good. Angus and Julia Stone sound here like two people who, after twenty years, still enjoy what they do, and that enjoyment seeps through every song. It is not a record that turns everything upside down, but it is one that feels warm, honest and surprisingly fresh. If you like music that takes you to a beach, an island or simply an evening of singing with strangers, then this record is highly recommended. (8/10) (Virgin Music)