I thought these guys were missing in action, Haven’t heard from them in a while. Almost forgot what they sounded like. But then, no matter how much these Australians were and still are labeled as the “down under” version of Belle & Sebastian, they always had something fresh and new in their sound that kept you coming back to their music.
How long has it been since the last album? Ten years? Now that is a break! Not that they were that prolific in their twenty years of existence anyway, four albums and four EP’s. All that by itself makes “Little By Little” even more welcome.
One of the first things you notice listening to this album is the absolute lack of electronics and studio effects. It is all stringed instruments, with Pete Cohen’s standup bass often in prominence (but never dominating the sound), pianos and Karl Smith’s still plaintive voice.
All that could fall under the category of a trick if the songwriting was not of the highest standard. And in that category, the material on “Little by Little is not only on the par with Belle & Sebastian they are compared to, but also the Australian giants The Go-Betweens and The Triffids.
The arrangements are so subtle and detailed, that only a few listens reveal what is really playing. But it is the songs themselves that dominate, coupled with some of the most intelligent lyrics this side of, well, Belle & Sebastian.
I’m sure that Smith and Cohen might be even sick of these constant comparisons, since Belle & Sebastian are (or were?) an ever-shifting collective, and Sodastream is actually just the two of them and their abundant ideas.
If you want confirmation of that, don’t go any further than brilliant “Tyre Iron” - it has such a brilliant development and introduces incredible instrumentation. Or try the closer “Saturday’s Ash” for an interplay between Smith’s excellent acoustic guitar and Cohen’s no-gimmick use of a musical saw.
Don’t be surprised if this ends up on many best of the year lists in some nine months time.
