Oh, Julia Stone. You beauty of sometimes-morbid indie music.
“Bloodbuzz Ohio.” No matter what she’s singing about, Julia Stone’s voice always sounds strangely intimate, like she’s whispering in my ear sort of. I love that about her stuff. Also, the word “bloodbuzz” is delightful.
“It’s All Okay.” Oh, this is good. This is the kind of polite sentimentality that I can completely be on board with. “And it’s all okay cause love will find a way to be what love is.” I accept this. This is not sappy and cheesy and overblown in its romanticism, it’s a “yes, well, we’ll go with it” to romance. And I approve of that.
“I’m Here, I’m Not Here.” I’m pretty sure this is a song about ambiguity and uncertainty (in relationships) and I am so comfortable with that. I love uncertainty really. “Live inside a dream, but we’re all on the same team. We will all agree there’s things we don’t know.“ Oh that’s lovely. I am fully comfortable with the fact that this is largely a play-by-play of lyrics. Just go with it.
“Justine.” I like women singing songs with other women’s names as titles that include lyrics like “And I wanna see in the heart of me you’re mine.” I like how mellow-but-never-dull this album is.
“Break Apart.” Well, this is nice and simple. When Julia Stone sings sustained vowels, I always feel washed over with a little bit of melancholy (in a good way if that’s possible?) and that is wonderful.
“With the Light.” Oops, and it got a little creepy for a minute before the doodley-doos started up. I say that in the nicest way; you can assume that, unless they’re prefaced with a negative adjective, I’m comfortable with doodley-doos. This is a song that feels kind of old, with the vocals, and kind of a different old, with the doodley-doos, and kind of new, with the way it’s all put together. Also, light lyrics. Always.
“I Want to Live Here.” I’d just like to set apart some more lyrics: “All of the stories we were told back when, they keep on telling them over and over again. All of the stories we think to be true, they get better every year.” I don’t know what that actually triggers me for exactly, but I’m going to hold onto it, considering it could theoretically suit a lot of my mixable topics. This one is also a little creepy in a really good way.
“By the Horns.” Okay, this titular track on a Julia Stone album, you have a whole lot to live up to, considering how ragingly obsessed I am with “The Memory Machine” off of that same-titled album. But… yes, I think I’m good with this. Here, just read up. I’m pretty sure this is a song about romantic encounters, yes, but it’s written in such a way that I can pretend that it’s about, you know. Other things. In kind of a Jack White’s “Love Interruption” way. Or in a way, actually, of “The Memory Machine.” (Although really, that one was not a stretch.) So I’m going to groove on it.
“The Line That Ties Me.” Now it’s a little slower, a little moodier, a little softer. Still whispery. In a good way. Well. And then suddenly: “I could call you my lover, call you a beast, call you the island, where faith doesn’t reach. Call you a lion, call you a man, you’re the line that ties me to things.“ Surprise feelings/triggers maybe. This is so pretty and neat.
“The River.” Again well. Hurray for words that mean other things. “I had visions, notwithstanding in the heart of it all.“ That was easy.
–your fangirl heroine.
