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Underground pop battlers The Lucksmiths are serving notice. Yes, sadly, it’s true. Times change, people move on, and like many of their songs — redolent with ordinary minutiae — The Lucksmiths have finally been conquered by everyday life.
Formed in 1993, and having since transcended musical fashions and movements, the Melbourne band have long been seen as refreshingly unique amongst the musical landscape; their live shows, often hilariously haphazard, continue to captivate audiences at home and around the world, while they remain fond favourites of many who came across the band in their formative years.
However, after sixteen lengthy years as purveyors of the well-crafted pop song, saddle-rash has finally set in, and sights are being set upon new horizons. Tali White, the band’s lead singer and drummer, has decided to further pursue his career as a primary school teacher, while Marty Donald, Mark Monnone and Louis Richter intend to head forth into new musical terrain whilst juggling parenthood, study and the fun-park ride that is casual employment.
The band wish to extend enormous gratitude to all their fans and supporters, and especially to all those who lent a hand navigating the uncharted wilderness of the independent music world.
The Lucksmiths leave behind a wondrous back catalogue of eight studio albums, three b-sides-and-rarities collections, and three mini-albums — more than 170 songs in all.
After one last visit to Europe next month, The Lucksmiths will celebrate their farewell this August with a string of Australian shows that will traverse a broad selection of their recorded works. Don’t miss the chance to say a final goodbye to the boys at these shows! Details in our gig guide.
If, like us, you're partial to the odd perfectly crafted pop song, delivered in bite-sized fuzzy chunks, then the eponymous debut album from Brooklyn, NY kids The Pains of Being Pure at Heart may be exactly what you've been looking for all these years! There's no wonder everyone's yackin' it up about these guys — their brand of noisy pop music is instilled with a real spirited playfulness, whether it be the tender adolescent yearning behind the lyrics, the distinct, unaffected vocals, or the shimmering keyboard sparkles, drifting off into the vortex of guitar mess and calamitous drums. These songs just have so much personality seeping from their pores, it's almost impossible to not press play again once the album's done!
But, please... don't take our word for it. Pitchfork reckon, "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart simply made a slyly confident debut that mixes sparkling melodies with an undercurrent of sad bastard mopery". And then they slapped 'em with a big 8.4 for their troubles!
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is available to order from us right now. It's also available now in quality record stores like Polyester (Melbourne), Red Eye (Sydney), and Rocking Horse (Brisbane), distributed by MGM, with other stores to follow on March 7. This album is a co-release, so if you're in the US or UK/Europe, please visit our buddies at Slumberland and Fortuna Pop!, respectively.
Still Flyin’ at last make good on the promise of their spectacular live show by releasing the highly anticipated début album Never Gonna Touch the Ground! Having recently offered up a sneak whiff in the form of "Good Thing It’s a Ghost Town Around Here" — the anthemic, highly-rotated ode to workplace hangovers — we finally get a looksee at the band’s entire hand. What we discover within is the high-energy craftiness of the likes of "Ghost Town" combined with mind-zapped slower jams built around some extremely deep bass grooves. Across this bountiful yet concise collection, Still Flyin’ make certain the party never flops; the floating horns and jagged, reggae-infused guitar stabs are underpinned by a sugar-rushed choir of Flyinettes chanting their hearts out behind lead singer Sean Rawls. Keep your ear to the wireless for the insanely catchy world-pop clap-fest of second single "The Hott Chord is Struck".
Never Gonna Touch the Ground hits Australian shelves on Saturday, December 6, distributed by the almighty muscle of MGM. In early-09, the album will be released in the US by Ernest Jenning and in Europe by Moshi Moshi, with vinyl copies through Antenna Farm (US). In the meantime, why not shove one in your Santa sack right here!
