5 QUESTIONS TO SODASTREAM

Sodastream is an Australian acoustic duo that I have followed and appreciated a lot ever since the album "The Hill For The Company," with which they became relatively famous in Italy. They offer a very light new acoustic sound, reminiscent of candlelight, a snow-touched mountain road, or a rainy day to watch from the window. I have written two reviews of their latest albums, and I had the chance to meet them in Bergamo during the promotional tour of "Reservations."

Dune Buggy: "Reservations" reminds me a lot of your early records; it has the same very subdued atmospheres. How did you come to record it? Did you follow a particular method?

Karl: it has been a long time since our last album, we've been on tour for a while and found ourselves with many songs to record. We also made an EP. After the first two albums, which were very calm, we recorded A Minor Revival which was more mixed with pop. After this period of pause, we found ourselves recording more "quiet" songs.

DB: will you always be faithful to acoustic music, or in the future, will there be contaminations with electronics or other genres?

Karl: we will add some electric instruments, better drums, fuller arrangements, there will also be faster tracks.

DB: do you feel a strong connection with your land? Is your music heavily involved with the Australian environment and atmosphere?

Karl: certainly, we feel connected to our country, in Australia there are also very "European" cities, but we come from Perth, we live outside the desert area, where there are very wild spaces. All these different influences enter very strongly into our music.

DB: who are your favorite artists and which ones have influenced you the most?

Karl: we like all acoustic music, clearly also from the past, like Nick Drake, Johnny Cash.Pete: I like American music, for example, the entire Chicago scene, even Lambchop

DB: what will happen to indiefolk music? Will it continue to have the relative success it has now, or will there be a "drop"? Will something from this alternative music enter the mainstream scene?

Pete: no, I don't think the music produced by indie labels will ever become as famous as that of the majors, it's not the kind of music that's fit for drinking...

DB: but I think it depends

Pete: no, music that prompts thinking will never be commercial, successful.

DB: that's how it is now, maybe thirty years ago it was different, there could be commercial and intelligent music together, I think of David Bowie...

Pete: Yes, definitely, but I don't think our music will ever be famous or commercial; there are exceptions, groups that manage to gain great fame, but bands proposing music like ours will never be mainstream, that's not what interests us.

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