Lady of the Sunshine

After the success of Australia's answer to Belle & Sebastian, Angus & Julia Stone, the male half of the Sidney folky-sweet duo, decided to venture out to begin his own project, sans press or fanfare. The idea had taken hold of Angus Stone while on tour with the former group, causing him to write between tours and never give up on the idea that songs themselves take their own shapes and meanings. Calling the experiment Lady of the Sunshine, Stone endeavored to take a dirtier, edgier, and more introspective downturn to his music. There are guitars that bounce from acoustic to droningly electric, catchy hooks, and a haunting intensity to the vocals, reminiscent of Elliott Smith or perhaps Kings of Leon. A definite '70s throwback vibe is present in the sound, with its dragging Led Zeppelin-esque blues chords and a West Coast twangy rock feel that's very Buffalo Springfield or Neil Young. Lady of the Sunshine's debut album, titled Smoking Gun, was recorded in North Queensland in 2008 with friend Govinda Doyle co-producing and taking over on drums and bass. The entire album was recorded in six weeks, and then released in April of 2009 on Flock Records.