Julia Stone is generally known for her folky collaboration albums with her brother Angus. Here though, she breaks away from him, and goes less folky–instead building a fuller, less acoustic sound. Her producer here is Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) who plays keyboards for The National, though is not in the band. He was integral in no less than 3 of my top albums this year; he really can get a beautiful, warm sound out of his artists.
Anyway, that’s nerdy talk. By The Horns is a cool record; I can see that Stone’s voice might be an acquired taste, I guess, but I like it and her songs. Her cover of The National’s “Bloodbuzz, Ohio” brings an intriguing female twist to the song. Elsewhere, the songs feel dynamic but also meditative. She also has a knack of bringing a lot of passion into what may not be the most passionate of songs.