The Lucksmiths were an influential indie pop band formed in Melbourne, Aust… Read Full Bio ↴The Lucksmiths were an influential indie pop band formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1993. The members are Martin Donald (Guitar), Taliesyn 'Tali' White (Vocals, Drums), and Mark Monnone (Bass) and in 2004 they acquired Mid State Orange's guitarist Louis Richter on second guitar. Whilst originating from beach-side Melbourne, the original three members of The Lucksmiths moved to inner Melbourne and fell in love with its charms. The songs Under the Rotunda, The Cassingle Revival and Tmrw Vs Y'Day all demonstrate as much. In the early 90's, they met Chris Crouch who had founded Candle Records. Crouch consequently began releasing their records, and they began to play the Melbourne indie circuit, most notably the Punters Club. This venue clearly holds a special place in The Lucksmiths' history as seen in the song Requiem for the Punters Club, written after its conversion to hipster bar Bimbos. While the others still reside in various inner Melbourne suburbs, Mark now lives in coastal Tasmania. This has not harmed the quality of The Lucksmiths' work nor is it a reflection of intra-band tension.
The Lucksmiths are noted for their simple melodies rich in humour and ironic verse. The majority of songs are written by Marty Donald. Although, both Tali White and Mark Monnone have written some of the band's finest songs. Many of their lyrics are based on the eccentricities of the everyday. Several songs also deal with the more usual pop-song issues of romance in relationships, but in a unique, gentle and easy-to-relate-to way.
There is also a persistent theme of Melbourne culture, most notably that of the inner city, as seen in frequent references to Melburnian placenames and themes. For examples, see the song The Sandringham Line, and many others. The Lucksmiths are also renowned for their creative use of language. English idioms and proverbs are referred to, played with and utilised to create poetically spontaneous verse. The songs virtually define clever lyricism. Whilst many of the idioms and references are distinctly Australian, their coupling of fantastic narrative lyrics with melody makes them so internationally accessible. Further, their songs almost always maintain a solid narrative with sensible and relevant choruses. When the narrative is abandoned, it is with good cause and in support of a more simple point (see T-Shirt Weather).
Marty Donald's lyrics in particular are filled with wordplay and puns, in particular the device of twisting a common phrase or cliché. In Frisbee, he says "that was the winter of my discount tent". "The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco" refers to "the non-specific northwest". Untidy Towns says "I got some mail I didn't open / It's an unread-letter day". Sometimes this can go a bit overboard, as in 'Synchronized Sinking', which contains the lines "why don't you let go of your boy and see / You've lost none of your bouyancy"; but that song also contains "Silhouetted in the smoke / From the shipwrecks at the bar / of the Anchor and Hope", which is, what many would refer to as poetic and skillful use of the English language.
Their musical setup, however, remains unusual and refreshing in a world of drum machines, synthesisers, and other elaborate gear. Tali sings and plays a minimal drum kit standing up at the front of the stage, with Marty to his right, Mark to his left, and Louis behind. This is often seen as a novelty, but nonetheless works perfectly, with their live performances being incredibly tight.
The Lucksmiths have been critically associated with indiepop, anti-folk and retro-pop. However, the band and their fans would consider The Lucksmiths as simply a pop band. This is a much fairer (and accurate) assessment.
In 2009 the band announced their breakup, with their final shows played in August.
Discography
Albums:
* First Tape (1993)
* The Green Bicycle Case (1995)
* What Bird Is That? (1996)
* A Good Kind Of Nervous (1997)
* Happy Secret (1999)
* Why That Doesn't Surprise Me (2001)
* Where Were We? (2002)
* Naturaliste (2003)
* Warmer Corners (2005)
* First Frost (2008)
EPs:
* Boondoggle (1994)
* Staring At The Sky (1999)
* A Little Distraction (2003)
* The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco (2005)
* A Hiccup In Your Happiness (2006)
Cassingles:
* Greatest Hits (?)
The Lucksmiths are noted for their simple melodies rich in humour and ironic verse. The majority of songs are written by Marty Donald. Although, both Tali White and Mark Monnone have written some of the band's finest songs. Many of their lyrics are based on the eccentricities of the everyday. Several songs also deal with the more usual pop-song issues of romance in relationships, but in a unique, gentle and easy-to-relate-to way.
There is also a persistent theme of Melbourne culture, most notably that of the inner city, as seen in frequent references to Melburnian placenames and themes. For examples, see the song The Sandringham Line, and many others. The Lucksmiths are also renowned for their creative use of language. English idioms and proverbs are referred to, played with and utilised to create poetically spontaneous verse. The songs virtually define clever lyricism. Whilst many of the idioms and references are distinctly Australian, their coupling of fantastic narrative lyrics with melody makes them so internationally accessible. Further, their songs almost always maintain a solid narrative with sensible and relevant choruses. When the narrative is abandoned, it is with good cause and in support of a more simple point (see T-Shirt Weather).
Marty Donald's lyrics in particular are filled with wordplay and puns, in particular the device of twisting a common phrase or cliché. In Frisbee, he says "that was the winter of my discount tent". "The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco" refers to "the non-specific northwest". Untidy Towns says "I got some mail I didn't open / It's an unread-letter day". Sometimes this can go a bit overboard, as in 'Synchronized Sinking', which contains the lines "why don't you let go of your boy and see / You've lost none of your bouyancy"; but that song also contains "Silhouetted in the smoke / From the shipwrecks at the bar / of the Anchor and Hope", which is, what many would refer to as poetic and skillful use of the English language.
Their musical setup, however, remains unusual and refreshing in a world of drum machines, synthesisers, and other elaborate gear. Tali sings and plays a minimal drum kit standing up at the front of the stage, with Marty to his right, Mark to his left, and Louis behind. This is often seen as a novelty, but nonetheless works perfectly, with their live performances being incredibly tight.
The Lucksmiths have been critically associated with indiepop, anti-folk and retro-pop. However, the band and their fans would consider The Lucksmiths as simply a pop band. This is a much fairer (and accurate) assessment.
In 2009 the band announced their breakup, with their final shows played in August.
Discography
Albums:
* First Tape (1993)
* The Green Bicycle Case (1995)
* What Bird Is That? (1996)
* A Good Kind Of Nervous (1997)
* Happy Secret (1999)
* Why That Doesn't Surprise Me (2001)
* Where Were We? (2002)
* Naturaliste (2003)
* Warmer Corners (2005)
* First Frost (2008)
EPs:
* Boondoggle (1994)
* Staring At The Sky (1999)
* A Little Distraction (2003)
* The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco (2005)
* A Hiccup In Your Happiness (2006)
Cassingles:
* Greatest Hits (?)
Yunta Hair
The Lucksmiths Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by The Lucksmiths:
01. music to hold hands to You can't keep a secret But you keep a diary anyway And…
21 The whole story's not the half of it Am I…
A Downside To The Upstairs It was a fine idea in autumn On the palest afternoons Parall…
A Great Parker I've got nothing on today Which is not to say I'm…
A Hiccup In Your Happiness The start is the hardest part To step inside and announce…
Abdication! It's only too clear And I know you hate to state…
Adolescent Song of Mindless Devotion I love you from the heart of my bottom I love…
After The After Party Even the most familiar face Can disappear without a trace Am…
All the Recipes I've Ever Ruined This apartment is falling apart And I can't figure out where…
Are You Having a Good Time?!?! This is one more song about rock 'n' roll By Elton…
Aviatrix One of these days She'll buy an old suitcase And she'll thro…
Beach Boys Medley For five months he was dry Feb til July But he found…
Beer Nut All the streets look the same 'til I'm fumbling for…
Before The Sun Came Up I'll never forget the morning we went running around Before…
Birthday Present for Katrina Happy birthday dear Katrina We hope you have a lovely day Yo…
Boat Sitting with you Painting my room I told you I was happy …
Broken Bones So much for unexpected weather It's been overcast forever Si…
California in Popular Song So love, you've had about enough Of leaning into the winter…
Camera Shy Here's me in 1981 Squinting into a sinking sun Ankle-deep …
Can't Believe My Eyes You always want to be somewhere Looks like we're already th…
Caravanna Here are we, with a view of mountains Staring at the…
Cat in Sunshine You tell me you don't like the way I comb…
Clever Hans We're a pantomime horse There's a stupid suit where our rela…
Clichéd Title For Kris I know a girl called Kris Who believes in God and…
Cliched Title For Krisis I know a girl called Kris Who believes in God and…
Columns O' Steam Your dad's proud face is glowing He recommends we buy goggl…
Danielle Steel She'd look beautiful in a tea towel But she's dressed…
Day In The City Tram ride through the city Got my backpack on my…
Day Three of Five Imagine a prison break Take the plans we made Tie them up…
Deep Sea Diving Suit You didn't have to say that I'm no good, 'cause…
Detective Agency I was supposed to wait for you But we'll have to…
Dignified and Old My telephone never rings She'd never call me I hate myself…
Don't Bring Your Work to Bed Driven by ambition Do know, my love, you're missing All the …
Don't Come With Me I'll make you wait around For all these things to be…
Edward Sandwich Hand God he hates the early mornings And the Monday afternoons He…
English Murder Mystery I love her but she loves Agatha Christie And she's so…
Even Stevens I won't lie I don't like you whispering that way It's your…
Fear Of Rollercoasters At the arse-end of another century I spend hours in the…
Fiction Written down here, gentle reader It seems too good to be…
First Cousin I don't know the difference between you and the weather You…
Fridge Magnet Song It's funny I feel like I felt before Late at…
Friendless Summer Today of all days you decided That you'd drop in uninvited Y…
Frisbee Today the sun is shining and I feel a million…
From Here to Maternity This is the last month A childhood disappears She may look y…
From Macaulay Station I know by now That no-one cheers up when told to That…
Get Well Now This is not a greeting card A two dollar piece of…
Get-to-bed Birds A shit year ends I kiss my friends We raise half…
Good Light I had an inkling this was going to end in…
Goodness Gracious What a beautiful day for a crushing defeat What a stupid…
Great Lengths Remember that New Year’s Eve We were frightened by a firewo…
Guess How Much I Love You Good Friday and I’m miles away And missing you already Fro…
Harmonicas and Trams On a tree lined route Looking out on wasteland Treated to a…
Honey Honey Honey Honey, honey, honey, let's slow down I'm only new in town I'…
House warming If you find yourself a house Will you invite me…
Housewarming If you find yourself a house Will you invite me…
How to Tie a Tie Not for the first time I'm having second thoughts In the day…
How We Met Late the other night Our friends already leaving I saw you…
I Am About to Sail I'm going to sea Don't try to reason with me…
I Can Take your time Or some of mine I've got more than I…
I Don't Want To Walk Around Alone No More I don’t want to walk around alone no more In sleepytown,…
I Prefer The Twentieth Century I'm not typically one to rush to judgement But I'm having…
I Started A Joke I started a joke Which started the whole world crying But …
Jennifer Jason I had a dream about Jennifer Jason Leigh I was…
Jewel Thieves We are happy-go-lucky Johnny-come-latelys Millionaire beach…
Lament of the Chiming Wedgebill When the wind's from the north, love I can hear the…
Little Athletics I don't know when it started But it's worse now than…
Little Distraction It's a lonely, lonely, lonely night It's a lonely, lonely, l…
Macintyre Far from handsome Close to ugly I pull my pants…
Mars Hi there dear, I'm on Mars again Keeping in touch with all…
Mezzanine I could sense the static Must have been the season Climbed i…
Midweek Midmorning You were never one for sleeping late But oh! the working…
Motorscooter I'll put this place behind me soon For somewhere bright and…
Moving Press your fingers against the strings This is where the son…
Music to Hold Hands To You can't keep a secret But you keep a diary anyway And…
Myopic Friends When we look back on it We can't deny our love…
Now I'm Even Further Away Alone tonight I’d rather be by your side As I drift out…
Off With His Cardigan If I've told him once I've told him a thousand…
Only Angels Have Wings Heavens above, I could never hate her She's done nothing wro…
Paper Planes The letters she wrote all day long She never showed them…
Pin Cushion I'm not sure what I should say Your closest friends are…
Pines Since July the 31st When the winter did its worst I've bee…
Point Being It was everything you'd hope for at the start of…
Postcard Dear Shane I write to you from the Mediterrane Our hotel r…
Punchlines I must admit I find it funny But I might have…
Putt Putt We've done thousands of things together Feels like we've be…
Putting It Off And Putting It Off Oh, you’d think I would have learned by now But no…
Remote Control Twenty-five year old teenager steals every scene He's got wr…
Rue Something Three AM: three dozen or so friends we′d met hours…
Run Spot Run Accidents will happen Catastrophes will occur One hour in …
Scottsdale I walk right past his window when the light is…
Self Preservation Breakfast, sat on a Japanese mattress Getting this happy tak…
Self-Preservation Breakfast, sat on a Japanese mattress Getting this happy ta…
Shine On Me If it's not raining you can see right down the…
Silver Friends I never thought that it could happen quite so strictly…
Sleep Well We shook hands and parted ways The sun danced on his…
Smokers In Love In the early morning, when you wake each other up Coughing…
Snug Tuck your head below my breast I will not love…
Song of the Undersea There’s a song that I hear When I’m under the sea There’s…
Southernmost Weekends away: These were the happiest days Ill with the thr…
Spond By the time you read this I'll be anywhere but here I…
Stayaway Stars Yeah, you're upset So am I, so am I I sometimes forget…
Successlessness You're not yourself Darling, you appear a little dog-eared Y…
Summer Town I’ll drop you a postcard, I’ll pick up my pen Miranda…
Sunlight In A Jar We've never been much chop at all that sensual stuff One…
Synchronised Sinking You don't need to ask me twice I'm not averse to…
T-Shirt Weather Hey Mike, you busy? All this sunshine's making me dizzy We…
Take This Lying Down I was looking for something To soothe your aching head Where…
Tale of Two Cities You and I have got a postpak relationship It's a tale…
The Art Of Cooking For Two One of us is packing things in boxes The other two…
The Baker's Wife He says he loves her, he's her husband He says…
The Cassingle Revival Another summer slipped away without me noticing At least yo…
The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco Is it April yet? I forget sometimes how slowly summer passes…
The Downside to the Upstairs It was a fine idea in autumn On the palest afternoons Parall…
The Drunkest Man in the World The drunkest man in the world Misunderstands what he's over…
The Fog Of Trujillo On the moon tonight, here on our own You and I,…
The Forgetting Of Wisdom A summer's day at my disposal By way of apology, a…
The Golden Age Of Aviation For argument's sake let's pretend we could stop arguing Ove…
The Great Dividing Range There's a blanket on a mattress on my sister's floor There's…
The Invention of Ordinary Everyday Things When my friend comes over We sit on the sofa And most…
The Music Next Door A week went by, and then another And not a word…
The National Mitten Registry Should you find me forsaken On some neighbor's fence Out w…
The Opposite Of Coffee She gets a haircut every June On a kitchen chair Last year…
The Perfect Crime The sun is on the hilltop Casting shadows on things below Th…
The Sandringham Line She's given it some thought And it's giving her some grief C…
the sandringham line. She's given it some thought And it's giving her some grief …
The Shipwreck Coast Clouds and clifftops close Grey like all the ghosts It's col…
The Tichborne Claimant Big and fat, here he comes All his fingers look like…
The Town and the Hills The road is long and slow The clouds are hanging low About…
The Winter Proper It was dark when you got home And only getting darker The…
The Year of Driving Languorously Darling roll the window down I can't breathe And I want to…
There Is a Boy That Never Goes Out Put the radiator on – it's freezing I'm coming over later…
There Is A Light That Never Go Put the radiator on – it's freezing I'm coming over later…
There is a Light That Never Goes Out Put the radiator on – it's freezing I'm coming over later…
Thomas and Martha Dorchester, August 1856 I'm an old man now and ashamed of…
Tmrw Vs. Y'Day When it’s hot the whole town goes to the swimming…
To Absent Votes They're packing up the polling booths And pulling down the …
Train Robbers' Wives Every second Saturday it′s off to Wormwood Scrubs To sit wit…
Transpontine Anchors away! Granted one last summer's day We watched the s…
Tree Every now and then everything comes up roses But you…
Twentytwo A funny old birthday I've talked to no-one Is she…
Two Storeys Downstairs it's dark most of the time And it's a mess The…
Umbrella Katy's on the telephone With her collar up and her…
Under the Rotunda It’s already Friday And soon it’ll be Friday night And if …
Untidy Towns First things first: I have a happy secret The next bit's…
Up I've made some plans But it's all up in the air I…
Up With the Sun I'll never forget the morning we went running around Before …
Victor Trumper I am bowling to Victor Trumper And the sun is shining And…
Weatherboard It was summer when she moved in And it was winter…
Welcome Home Her letter said in three weeks She’ll be coming down from…
What Passes for Silence She knows how pathetic it looks She's read it in books And…
What You'll Miss In the morning it felt like the world had stopped And…
William and Mary Dear Mary, a letter from the grave You'd better well behave …
World Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Murder Around here the roofs are redder And the houses are closer…
Wyoming I like the look of Wyoming Although I wasn’t there for…
Young And Dumb The last time I saw you My guitar had just been…
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