the Lucksmiths Why That Doesn't Surprise Me

Format: CD.
Label: Drive-In.
Label reference #: drive52.
TK Mailorder Reference ID: M9987
Approximate release date: March 20, 2001.
Genres: Australian Bands

Price: $13.50 [In Stock. Available to ship now.]

Number in stock: 1
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Track listing:

1. "Music To Hold Hands To"
2. "Synchronised Sinking"
3. "The Great Dividing Range"
4. "Beach Boys Medley"
5. "Broken Bones"
6. "First Cousin"
7. "Don't Bring Your Work To Bed"
8. "Fear Of Rollercoasters"
9. "Harmonicas And Trams"
10. "The Forgetting Of Wisdom"
11. "Self-Preservation"
12. "How To Tie A Tie"
13. "All The Recipes I've Ever Ruined"
14. "The Year Of Driving Langourously"

Twee Kitten review of Why That Doesn't Surprise Me
by Keith Mclachlan

I can still recall the first time I heard the Lucksmiths, a few years back it was during the heady days of my initial infatuation with Belle and Sebastain. Or perhaps it was slightly beyond that during a paler sunset obsession, anyhow they were being hailed all around as the new Belle and Sebastian and I think I had tagged them, in my futile attempts at being literate, as the working class heroes much the same as John Fante act as the same sort of counterbalance to Oscar Wilde. Well this then must be their 'Ask the Dust' or maybe 'The Wine of Youth', hard to pick the true Fante masterpiece yes, for "Why That Doesn't Surprise Me' is stunning, beautiful, magnificent and perfect. The Lucksmiths write within everyone's, yours and mine and his and hers, point of view, their tales are not remarkable, and they are not fanciful visions of gallantry or even ignominy but rather Martin, Mark and Tali recreate their lives as a musical tapestry on view, rich and ornate and tangible and accessible. The evolution forward from 'A Good Kind of Nervous' is marked, some time ago on some strange day we once had a conversation with the three Lucksmiths and the question of 'Hey were you guys really a ska band once?' was raised and after much chortling and shuffling had passed they simply rejoined and claimed they too, were once young and stupid. 'AGKON' then was their emergence or metamorphosis, more likely, into thoughtful purveyors of the sort of pop that draws equally from the Smiths, Paul Simon and now with the inclusion of dramatic string flourishes of more ornate acts such as the Left Banke most especially on the amazing third track 'The Great Dividing Range'. The songwriting duties are shared among the three members, Tali as an active duty Drama tacher in London contributes but two, each equally lovely, while Mark and Marty, engaged in the noble occupation of creating beautiful music, handle the rest. I have to say my affections lie with Martin, perhaps because of his demeanour he seems to have studied and created a craft where he has absorbed his surroundings enough to write memorably vivid tales with endless amounts of melancholy, sensitivity and depth. Not to enlist Mark in slouchdom either, not at all for truthfully he tends to have the more optimistic numbers which help to brighten some of the records subdued corners. There are luxuriant strings, dreamy female vocals in the background and a real attention to detail in this endlessly soulful display of heart.



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