Sad news for fans of Australian pop group the Lucksmiths. In a message sent via their label, they’ve announced that “after sixteen years as The Lucksmiths, the band has decided to break up.”

They were a great band who deserved a lot more recognition than they ever received. Perhaps their lyrics were too clever or their sound too precious for their own good. While it would be difficult to argue that they weren’t the very embodiment of “twee,” if you ever got the opportunity to see them out live, your impression might changed a little.

In appearance, they actually reminded me of a young, mod Who. Tali White has the same, piercing eyes and undeniable charisma as Roger Daltrey, despite the fact that White’s subdued, gentle vocals are the complete opposite of Daltrey’s histrionics. And Marty Donald reminded me of more than a little of Pete Townshend. Donald wrote most of the songs, sang occasional harmonies, and strummed lovely chords. He even has a respectable honker like Pete! Mark Monnone isn’t really anything like the Ox, and there’s clearly no place for anyone resembling Keith Moon in the Lucksmiths. Regardless, my point is that they were far from puss-pop, especially live.

I’m mad at myself for not getting out there and seeing them the last (several) times they came through town. I always figured I’d catch them next time. Which you’d think I’d realize by now is a very shortsighted way of thinking about bands at this level. Hell, bands at any level. If you care, catch them when you can…you might not get another chance. They’ll be finishing up their European tour and some final dates in Australia, but then that’s it. They will be missed.

MP3s:

• The Lucksmiths – “Up with the Sun”

• The Lucksmiths – “A Sobering Thought (Just When One Was Needed)”

• The Lucksmiths – “A Hiccup in Your Happiness”

• The Lucksmiths – “Up With The Sun”

• The Lucksmiths – “Pin Cushion”

Lucksmiths: iTunes, Amazon, Insound, wiki.

Full announcement after the jump…

Video: The Lucksmiths – “Great Lengths” (live at Schuler Books)

A sad word from The Lucksmiths…

There’s no easy way to put this, so please accept our apologies for the seemingly abrupt nature of this post. We are saddened to announce that after sixteen years as The Lucksmiths, the band has decided to break up.

The last few years have been an uphill battle in many ways, so this isn’t a hasty decision based on any falling-out between band members, but rather, an acceptance of the inevitable. This decision was finally reached a few months back, so we’ve had plenty of time to let it sink in.

We had tried to operate the band in a way that would suit all of us, but at the same time we’ve been very conscious that too much compromise would in the end affect our creative output. We’re very proud of the music we make, and we certainly didn’t want it to start stinking. So, in taking our cues from Devo, we’ve decided to whip the proverbial cream before it sits out too long.

We’re really excited about our upcoming European tour, and have booked some Australian dates for our “farewell tour” in August. The details for these shows are in our gig guide. We really hope to see as many people at these shows as possible, as we will be playing super long sets, cramming in as many old favourites as possible.

We must apologise for not making it back to the USA, Canada, Japan, New Zealand or Singapore, or to the other amazing European countries we’ve previously visited – and for never having made it to the other fifty or so countries we’d hoped to tour one day.

We really want to thank you all, especially the wonderful people who’ve helped us out in any way, and anyone who’s listened to our music or come to a show. We’ve loved having you in our world and we will miss you dearly.

xo The Lucksmiths

www.lostandlonesome.com.au