SpenniesThe Lucksmiths - Naturaliste
June 13th 2006 04:04
THE LUCKSMITHS
Naturaliste (2003)
Candle Records
Produced by Craig Pilkington
Record label band page w/ discography and audio samples
Ah, The Lucksmiths. That charming Melbourne acoustic-pop trio whom have now been kicking around for about 13 years, constantly putting out release after release. This album doesn't really stray from their recognisable formula, and has all the ingredients that make these guys special. You see, The Lucksmiths have basically two modes... either upbeat pop or droning ballads. Of course, they soak everything in melody and often use instruments such as brass sections, harmonica, xylophones and steel guitars to keep things interesting.
This is basically really chilled out music. Fairly stripped back and works well as background music on a Sunday afternoon or giving it more of a proper listen, contains great lyrics that paint a neat portrait of inner-city living with plenty of namechecking and clever plays-on-words. I think that's what makes the band so good - their ability to convey exactly what they want to say through excellent wordology, mixed with laid-back boppiness and sharp melodies. Their drummer is the singer, on stage he is up the front in the centre, using only brushsticks on a snare drum. Another standout is the bassplaying, which is always spot-on and is full of runs and cool lines, never really taking the focus away from the song, but more adding to the full picture.
Standouts on this album include the opener "Camera-shy" the super-dreamy "The Sandringham Line" and the excellently boppy "Midweek Midmorning" which reminds of The Cure a little in songs such as "Friday on My Mind" due to the great guitar harmonising and vocal lines.
I find that I have to be in a certain mood to listen to the Lucksmiths, but when I am I always enjoy them. They're really the only band of this style of music I listen to, and they do their thing flawlessly. This is a strong album, not treading any new ground at all (a lot of their releases sound just the same), but the beauty is in the well-crafted songs and great lyrics. I'd suggest checking out some of their stuff, you can order their entire back catalogue from their record labels website and most of it is quite cheap. There's a link at the top so get going! Putting it simply, The Lucksmiths rule!
Naturaliste (2003)
Candle Records
Produced by Craig Pilkington
Record label band page w/ discography and audio samples
This is basically really chilled out music. Fairly stripped back and works well as background music on a Sunday afternoon or giving it more of a proper listen, contains great lyrics that paint a neat portrait of inner-city living with plenty of namechecking and clever plays-on-words. I think that's what makes the band so good - their ability to convey exactly what they want to say through excellent wordology, mixed with laid-back boppiness and sharp melodies. Their drummer is the singer, on stage he is up the front in the centre, using only brushsticks on a snare drum. Another standout is the bassplaying, which is always spot-on and is full of runs and cool lines, never really taking the focus away from the song, but more adding to the full picture.
The Lucksmiths are chilled out dudes
I find that I have to be in a certain mood to listen to the Lucksmiths, but when I am I always enjoy them. They're really the only band of this style of music I listen to, and they do their thing flawlessly. This is a strong album, not treading any new ground at all (a lot of their releases sound just the same), but the beauty is in the well-crafted songs and great lyrics. I'd suggest checking out some of their stuff, you can order their entire back catalogue from their record labels website and most of it is quite cheap. There's a link at the top so get going! Putting it simply, The Lucksmiths rule!
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