Despite knowing the Aussie duo by name for a couple of years now, Angus & Julia Stone's latest EP "Big Jet Plane" is my first experience with their music "up close", so to speak. The title track is actually a slimmed-down cut straight off the latest long-player from the duo, "Down The Way", and comes bolstered with three previously unseen partners, including a cover of Grease classic, "The One That I Want". With the two antipodeans sharing singing duties, the EP has a nice balance but comes across as a slightly odd pick 'n' mix of made-for-radio pop and delicate folk-infused torch-burners.
Having given myself a quick crash course through the Stones' back catalogue (two albums prior to the release of 2010's "Down The Way"), I have to admit that "Big Jet Plane" initially feels a little disappointing. A soft-rock crooner with the simplistic refrain (unless you're of the Carry On sort who can find sex references in a Mr. Men book) "Gonna take you for a ride/on a big jet plane", it's a pleasant moment of easy-going, light-hearted rock but it doesn't look to do any more. With the delightful "Hold On" a far more appealing prospect (at least to these ears) from the latest release, it clearly feels like "Big Jet Plane" was chosen for its radio-friendly (not that much of the siblings' music is un-radio-friendly) nature. Let's be clear: it's not like the song is terrible - it isn't - but rather that in my opinion there are better tracks on the album that could benefit from a re-release.
Leaving behind my reservations regarding single material and the choosing thereof, we slide into "Living On A Rainbow", a swinging folk-pop ditty, with breathy vocals from Julia and a delicate, picked acoustic melody. This feels a bit more like it, I think to myself, as the song progresses towards the mid-point. But no! Unfortunately, like a four-year old toddler leaving pools of drool all over your clean tablecloth, a choir of children creep in on the chorus and run their sticky little fingers all over it. This sort of thing always feels a little cheap to me - I'm not a great fan of children's voices in pop music anyway (with the notable exception of Yeasayer's "2080") - and this moment feels particularly cloying. It's not entirely ruined, but it would have been a better song with a strict over-18s door policy in place. "My Malakai", an ode to a destroyed pet dog/critique of interfering busy bodies, feels a little underweight, but builds nicely and does tug a little at the heart strings, particularly if you listen to the lyrics.
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But all this is just the hors d'oeuvre to the main course of the EP: "The One That I Want". It may not come as a surprise to many of you reading this that I'm not the biggest fan of the smash-hit that launched John Travolta (and to a lesser extent Olivia Newton-John) into the big time. Julia once again takes the reins, and in stripping away the boisterous, happy-go-lucky atmosphere of the original, proceeds to transform it into a heartfelt, not entirely sorrow-free, plea to a loved one. Gone are Newton-John's ballsy, coquettish challenge and Travolta's self-confident strut (fortunately Julia keeps all the verses to herself); all that's left is uncertainty and a little hope, no more so than in the final doubt-ridden refrain, "I'm sure down deep inside/you're the one I want". The last "Yes indeed" in particular sounds like an attempt to convince not the concerned party but herself. It's really very, very nice, and I would almost go as far to say as worth the EP price alone. The first three tracks are nice enough in a poppy sort of way, but it's track four that you'll be returning to, again and again.
So that's six out of ten for the first three tracks and eight for the Grease track. And they were this close to earning a bonus point for convincing me to part with anything but the lower-level prime numbers for a musical-related offering. Wonders will never cease…
Angus & Julia Stone on MySpace
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