Snow | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 15 September 2017 | |||
Studio | Byron Bay cottage studio [1] | |||
Length | 52:36 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Angus & Julia Stone | |||
Angus & Julia Stone chronology | ||||
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Singles from Snow | ||||
Snow is the fourth studio album by Australian singer-songwriter duo Angus & Julia Stone. It was released on 15 September 2017 [1] by EMI in Australia and Nettwerk in the United States. [6] [7] It was preceded by the release of the title track [1] and " Chateau" as singles. [8] "Chateau" was accompanied by a video directed by Jessie Hill. [9] The album was written entirely by the duo and recorded at Angus Stone's Byron Bay cottage studio after it was suggested by Rick Rubin, who produced their 2014 self-titled album. [10]
Two of the album's tracks were voted into the Triple J Hottest 100, 2017: "Chateau" at number three and " Snow" at number 98.
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2018, the album was nominated for two awards; Best Blues and Roots Album and Best Independent Release. [11]
Julia Stone commented that the duo had never written a whole album by themselves, nor spent as much time making an album alone together, saying: "That was the first time that we actually started writing together, in the same room [...] the last phase of writing and recording was just eight weeks of him and me and the quiet of the land." [10] Ideas for the album came about while the duo were in Switzerland, and the album was recorded at Angus' Byron Bay studio over a period of approximately six months. [12] Songs originated from " jam sessions" with friends who were at the pair's home. [13] Angus and Julia included a song about their late grandfather on the album, titled "Cellar Door", as he had helped inspire them to become a band; the track is about Angus revisiting his home town to sing at his funeral. [12]
The album incorporates new instrumentation for the duo: the use of a drum machine and "a more expansive guitar palette". [14] It also incorporates the use of a $150 organ the pair bought from an advertisement on the opening track, "Snow". [12] [15] The track "Sylvester Stallone" includes lyrics referring to a lover who slurs their speech when drunk, [13] and "Sleep Alone" was created after a "' speed-date' songwriting session" with an unnamed DJ, where the duo abandoned the programmed beat but kept the lyrics. [13]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 5.5/10 [16] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [17] |
The Irish Times | [18] |
The Line of Best Fit | 7.5/10 [19] |
The Music AU | [20] |
The Observer | [21] |
Renowned for Sound | [22] |
Rolling Stone Australia | [14] |
Darren Levin from Rolling Stone Australia complimented the " call-and-response" of "Snow", saying: "The Stones are at their best when they're playing off each other like this: Julia providing the strong but sympathetic counterpoint to her brother's just-rolled-out-of-a-two-day-bender version of charm." [14] He gave the record three-and-a-half stars out of five, concluding: "They're stronger together – they just realise it now." [14] Lauren Murphy of The Irish Times was less positive, giving the record two out of five stars, writing: "Beige might be a more appropriate title for Angus and Julia Stone's fourth album [...] their songs are bland creations, dripping with laboured pretence, as heard on 'Sleep Alone' and the lacklustre 'Baudelaire'. Only the Springsteen-esque shimmer of guitar on 'Who Do You Think You Are?' inspires any emotional response." [18] She summarised that the album was "studied nonchalance with no real identity of its own". [18]
All tracks are written by Angus & Julia Stone
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | " Snow" | 4:12 |
2. | "Oakwood" | 3:43 |
3. | " Chateau" | 4:33 |
4. | "Cellar Door" | 4:41 |
5. | "Sleep Alone" | 4:29 |
6. | "Make It Out Alive" | 3:17 |
7. | "Who Do You Think You Are" | 6:51 |
8. | "Nothing Else" | 4:24 |
9. | "My House Your House" | 4:42 |
10. | "Bloodhound" | 3:58 |
11. | "Baudelaire" | 4:14 |
12. | "Sylvester Stallone" | 3:32 |
Total length: | 52:36 |
Source: iTunes [23]
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia ( ARIA) [39] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
France ( SNEP) [40] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
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