A Good Kind of Nervous

AMG Review of A Good Kind of Nervous

Nitsuh Abebe
All Music Guide

The Lucksmiths' first album comes to the folky warmth of Belle and Sebastian from a jangling Australian perspective, tossing out one unassuming and wonderfully written pop tune after another. While a few of the album's tracks are a little too chirpy for their own good ("Punchlines"), others are engaging, dead-on, and spinning-clean melodies over steady acoustic guitars -- songs like "Columns of Steam" and "Under the Rotunda" (a track sure to invite Belle and Sebastian comparisons) are both moving and memorable. It's actually a shame that the band doesn't take itself more seriously -- semi-goofy ballads like "Wyoming" are charming and appealing, but the Lucksmiths' songwriting is strong enough that they could do even better with more dramatic material.