July 31-August 6, 2003

musicpicks

The Lucksmiths

Rock/pop

Impossibly breezy and wistful as a summer's eve, Melbourne's The Lucksmiths make the kind of freshly scrubbed pop that only sounds simple. Drummer Tali White not only works with a simple snare, brushing it with the softest of touches, but plays standing up, often singing lead while he does. Perfectly equipped for busking, The Lucksmiths travel light, but not without baggage: Regret and longing float through their songs like clouds through a clear blue sky. Though they've been known to flout their The Smiths' influence -- their latest album, Naturaliste, contains a number called "There is a Boy That Never Goes Out" -- their Aussie approachableness wins out over any tendency to self-dramatize: They're too Oz to be Moz.

Wed., Aug. 6, 9:30 p.m., $8, with Via Tania and Tim Kinsella, Doc Watson’s, 216 S. 11th St., 800-594-TIXX.

—Sam Adams