As revealed yesterday through their website and email, The Lucksmiths — after eight studio albums over the span of sixteen years — have decided to call it quits.  Maybe the writing was on the wall with their last album, but I would’ve never imagined them throwing in the towel.  A lot of bands come and go, and understandably so, but they’ve done this thing for so long now that I could easily envision them creating wonderful pop songs well into their 50s.

A sort of “farewell tour” is in order after a visit in Europe next month, as the band will perform a number of Australian shows in August.  You can read the entire statement on their official website, but you can read a small excerpt of it below.  It truly is a shame that I never got to see them perform.

MP3: The Lucksmiths :: “What You’ll Miss”

Dear Friends,

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.

Image: Flickr

Reading all of the news, emails and just about everything else revolving around SXSW has me a little sad that I once again (three times straight since I started blogging) am not able to partake in this year’s proceedings.  As always, I say to myself “Hey, maybe next year!” but for the time being I will just stew here in my chair until next week. Knowing that isn’t really productive, I figured why not make a little mix to cheer myself up?  What else can turn a frown upside down than a bunch of fun pop songs, or even for a random, lazy Sunday afternoon.  Hope this finds you in happy spirits!

MP3: A Sunny Day in Glasgow :: “Best Summer Ever”
Scribble Mural Comic Journal (2007)
MP3: Jens Lekman :: “I Don’t Know If She’s Worth 900 kr”
You Deserve Someone Better Than A Bum Like Me EP (2005)
MP3: Pants Yell! :: “Magenta and Green”
Alison Statton (2007)
MP3: Camera Obscura :: “Let’s Get Out Of This Country”
Let’s Get Out Of This Country (2006)
MP3: Heavenly :: “C Is The Heavenly Option”
Le Jardin de Heavenly (1992)
MP3: The Divine Comedy :: “Something For The Weekend”
Casanova (1997)
MP3: The Lucksmiths :: “Untidy Towns”
Happy Secret (1999)
MP3: Belle & Sebastian :: “Lazy Line Painter Jane”
Lazy Line Painter Jane EP (1997)