pop

It’s kind of a twofer this week because first up is a brother and sister duo and then it’s the sister’s solo effort, both equally a total damn pleasure to listen to. Angus and Julia are an Australian acoustic folk-pop combo, and their latest album Down the Way released in 2010 was pretty much a critical smash (having just used that phrase I now feel like a snooty music journalist who might insist that Bob Dylan’s death is going to make WAY more commotion than when Michael Jackson died).

You’ll hear why on the song “Big Jet Plane.”

Julia released a solo record called By the Horns last month.

It includes a cover of one of my favorite songs by The National (a band I cannot write enough good things about, HEY MATT BERNINGER, CALL ME MAYBE), but this song called “It’s All Okay” is just glorious. The underlying urgency of the beat is begging me to hop in the car, open the sunroof and sing out loud like a fool.