Sodastream |
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Australia’s Sodastream never seem to be hyped or publicised greatly. If anything, they glide between the cogs of the music industry, travelling across the world, picking up new fans, but always avoiding being crushed by the mechanisms which can make or break careers. Based on A Minor Revival, perhaps they do deserve to be something much bigger, but with music this delicate, and the fragile voice of Karl Smith, stardom may just snap it to pieces. Thankfully, that scenario remains irrelevant and the duo have put together a little indie-pop gem for their third full album.
For those new to the Sodastream style, they sometimes sound a little similar to Mojave 3 in their late 90’s period (which obviously clarifies the situation), but with a much more interesting tale to tell, both musically and lyrically. Comparisons could flood the review if let loose, though, as there are so many bands producing similar sounds, but I will tighten the noose here because A Minor Revival can stand proud amongst its peers, and besides, I’m determined to make it through the review without mentioning a certain Scottish band (but I didn’t set a rule saying that I couldn’t allude to them).
Frequently the Sodastream acoustic guitars jangle and strum, and are accompanied by piano and cello to boost the emotional feel of the recording. No great surprise there, but when applied properly as it is here, it always makes for a really pleasant listening experience. Then comes along a song like ‘Blinky’, which is a cute, upbeat number, hopping along like a happy kangaroo, with blasts of horns lifting the chorus. The instrumentation of the album is just so light and floaty throughout that it is delightful. Irresistible like a perfect sponge cake even, and it’s hard not to sit back and enjoy that.
On a global scale, Australia really does have a separate music scene from the rest of the world. The bands breaking out of there have mainly been chosen and hyped by the marketing machine, therefore, well done Sodastream, for being an ambassador of quality music and playing the game by your own rules. A Minor Revival is yet another success story of 2003, and a lovely collection for any unsuspecting music fan to fall in love with.
Steven McCarron
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