lucksmiths

That is, assuming they're still touring as a three-piece, which I understand isn't always the case. But I'm pretty sure they are, and you'll be surprised how many people they can get to almost pogo with just bass, guitar, and a standup two-piece drum set.

I posted something nice about them on the Death Cab thread yesterday. Predictably I quite like them, even if the punning is very hit or miss. When it's on there are some nice Go-Bees/TCSs turns of phrase. I much prefer the strummy, jaunty "Happy Secret" compilation and most of "A Good Kind of Nervous" to the more recent, more lush record with the dragon on it.

"Guess How Much I Love You" is terribly sweet, "T-Shirt Weather" is awfully cute. Is it weedy indie pop? Yes, it is, but at their peaks they're about as charming as weedy indie pop can get. (How's that for damning praise on ILM!)

In contrast, when I went home and listened to the new album ("Why doesn't that surprise me," I think), I was kind of disappointed. The songs were nice, but they lacked punch. Pick up the "Happy Secret" comp instead. Unless you have a serious aversion to folk pop and/or the (occassionally) clever pun you won't be disappointed.

Unfortunately, most of their Australian fanbase seems identical to the obnoxious Britpop club-kids.

Candle Records; (candle.com.au) has lots of info on the bands- including on Golden Rough- as well as gratuitous 'I love Tali' messages from 14 year old Norwegan schoolgirls in the guestbook. www.ozmusicproject.net and www.mono.net are (occasionally incoherent) Australian music resources, with links to most bands.

The new Sodastream album is nice, if samey to 'Looks Like A Russian' (the excellent debut album out last year). Karl Smith's Catholic guilt thing has become increasingly apparent.

Going to lie down for a while, I think...

After seeing them five hundred times in a row I've still not had enough- going to the show with Hefner tonight and the B&G one tomorrow, and I'll see you popkids down the front...

It's pretty good! Totally sissy! Music for bedsit bedwetters! English majors! Come one come all! They like the Smiths and Belle and Sebastion!

I like this....I've been in the market for some good ol' melancholy jangle...this fits the bill....I reminds me of being sad in college...that comforting kind of sadness that makes you feel more important than you really are in college!

good stuff! luv the nice sublte strings and woodwinds...cover art suxx though, don't do that shit at yr friends house on photoshop folks!

I could never understand
Hating music to hold hands to
Sometimes something that you can
dance to
Is the last thing that you need

Damn, I'm really digging this for some reason....

OTM...good basslines! Reminds me of Andy Rourke....lots of Smiths influenced bands forget (or ignore) what a fantastic rhythm section they had....

*grousegripe* JUST because I forgot his name for a sec and y'all complain.

Noted, L.

Compilation out this weekend :

http://chaos.com/product/spring_a_leak_1589845_7402.html

So how's the new compilation? I loved "T-Shirt Weather" and _Happy Secret_ but didn't really follow them after that. Going to see them tonight, though.

I only have "Warmer Corners," but I really enjoy it. I'll probably pick up the compilation.

I'd like to see them at DC9 on Sunday, but I can't. Damn 21+ shows...

Is there a cat named Andrew Kaffer in this band?

no

isn't he the kissing book guy?

Warmer Corners rules. It contains my favourite Lucksmiths song, "Now I'm Even Further Away".

andrew kaffer is kissing book guy. they were very similar to lucksmiths until they went jazz but the first albumis fantastic. he was in the best friends group with some of the lucksmiths, i think he spends many months in australia often.

I really thought he joined them at some point. Oh, well.

New album, First Frost, out in November. New songs up on myspace are underwhelming on first listen, but good news nonetheless.

wow has it really been three years since the last one? i guess the spring a leak compilation in the meantime made it seem like they haven't been gone all that long

Anyone know if the Australian (Lost and Lonesome) pressing is a standard jewel case? Matinee one is a digipak and I hate them and rather pay the extra postage if it is a jewel case.

That was referring to the new album, First Frost.

i'll have a look out for you

it's a pleasant record. every lucksmiths record sounds the same but then they are all mostly enjoyable.

I'm betting The Guild League doesn't generate enough interest for its own thread, but the new album Speak Up was almost worth waiting four years for.

really dug the first, thought the second was, well, not great. tentatively interested in the newie. is it better than the last one?

mark m lives on my street, a couple of doors up

Why did they release the Guild League and Lucksmiths so close together? I still never got around to buying First Frost yet.

thought the second was, well, not great

Really? I actually like it more.

The new one's not much like either of them, and more like straightforward Lucksmiths with horns.

Why did they release the Guild League and Lucksmiths so close together?

I guess they came into some money, because for a while on TGL myspace site they were saying they had songs, but not enough cash to record them.

they also don't share an exact fanbase, particularly in aus

Anyone know if the Australian (Lost and Lonesome) pressing is a standard jewel case? Matinee one is a digipak and I hate them and rather pay the extra postage if it is a jewel case.

― svend, Thursday, October 30, 2008 3:08 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark

i have a copy now, yes unfortunately it is in a digipak

splitting up!

http://www.indiepages.com/matinee/news.html

So, I finally got to see them live (just before they chuck it), having somehow always contrived to be out of the country whenever they get here. Concur with the upthread views that they make sense when you see them live, and that Tali's ability to sing and drum at the same time without fucking up either is an under-rated strength.

Camera Shy is great, isn't it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c948EkKAj-g

Singing and playing the kind of drums he plays is not particularly hard, certainly no harder than strumming chords on a guitar while singing. Nonetheless, I saw these guys once and I think they're pretty good for the kind of thing I normally don't like at all.

i do love these dudes but based on first frost it was the right time to call it a day

there is a lucksmiths tribute cd from a bunch of filipino bands, they pick the right songs but it is mostly pointless.

i would imagine so

i wish that sugargliders tribute cd that drivein were supposed to do had been released ;_;

it is on t@ke the p1lls at the moment.

Why wasn't the Sugargliders tribute released? Only reason I ever guessed was that 90 percent of the bands planned for it had already broken up.

i don't know.. we rushed and rushed to get our track on there in time, oh irony.

I always remember seeing Tugboat mentioned on the microindie site, but was this the same tribute or another one?

1. The Earthmen: Yr Jacker
2. The Cats Miaow: Seventeen
3. Snowblind: Unkind
4. Pencil Tin: Corn Circles
5. The Jordans: Fruitloopin
6. Nick Batterham: Confidence
7. Starstreamer: Skylight Salt
8. The Cats Miaow: Unkind
9. The Jordans: Skylight Salt
10. Stinky Fire Engine: Please Rain Fall
11. Tali Lucksmith: This Travelling Song
12. Annie N Dale: Yeah Prahran
13. Aga Beufi: What We Had Hoped
14. Daily Planets: Police Me
15. MC Sugardaddy: Word Up From A Lifeboat
16. Horsefloat: What We Had Hoped

^that's a different one, "a good night's kiss" - i have it, somewhere. it's half good half terrible. tali's track is entirely acapella and SFE didn't realise 'please rain fall' was already a cover haha

Wow. That is actually pretty sad/funny.

untidy towns is really a perfect song, if you think about it, and i have

i think i might like 'midweek midmorning' most these days

naturaliste is the best album, yeah. the part in 'midweek morning' where it soars to life after he sings skywriting and then the vocals get doubled on the refrain "you decide..." &c its so joyous and pretty

my lucksmiths pox wld be:

untidy towns
smokers in love
the chapter entitled...
midweek morning
little athletics
cassingle revival
stayaway stars
cat in sunshine
music to hold hands to
fiction

i would put t-shirt weather in mine

i remember one day they did a concert in my friends backyard, they played t-shirt weather + guess how much i love you, it was sunny, i was pretty drunk + w/ my (current) gf, it was perfect

they should have let marty write all of the songs.

i really, really don't agree with you.

that seems about normal now:)

t-shirt weather has been humming around at the edge of my consciousness for about a week or so now (and for obv reasons i guess)

probably seeing nu-lucksmiths last leaves 2nd gig tonight. will be interesting to see what it's like without tali..

how was it?

it was ok - about a third of the set felt like an interesting progression on his songwriting with the lucksmiths, and the songs were a lot rockier overall, but the rest felt a bit like the weaker lucksmiths songs with a weaker singer. it does have the feeling that it's been put together in a little bit of a rush though and there's some good potential..

Monnone is over in Europe playing some shows in the summer. I've got a bit of a soft spot for his Monnone Alone project, really nice Pastelsy vibe going on.

it's easily the best solo/side project of the three

We (me and emil.y and a non ILX0R friend) are putting on Monnone Alone next week in Brighton, UK. The album is sweet.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7450/9175353391_661f9133c0_z.jpg