on the ARIA Albums Chart. Sunset Studies critical reception was generally positive; Noel Mengel of The Courier-Mail said that on the album, "songs of quiet reflection, starkly beautiful melodies and intimate poetry collide on the canvas without a thought to sales graphs or what radio program directors might think," while AllMusic's Jack Rabid told American readers "it's worth the effort to track down [the album], particularly for those who think there are no more musical craftsmen out there." The album earned the ARIA Award for Engineer of the Year for 2001, and received nominations for Producer of the Year, Breakthrough Artist – Album and Best Cover Art for Sam Hickey's work. Of the album's six engineers, Pleasance, Paul McKercher, Chris Thompson and Chris Dickie qualified for the ARIA Award for best engineer. McKercher and Pleasance, as well as the band, were named producers. Of the singles released from this album, "There Is No Such Place" was their most popular, which was listed at number 47 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2001 listeners poll. Preparations for a follow-up to Sunset Studies were disrupted on 2 January 2001 when Robert Dawson died in a two-car collision near Bairnsdale, Victoria, the other driver also died. Dawson's death had a significant impact on the band, especially on Richards who was writing for their second album, Strange Bird. However, it is not mournful; Richards described it as optimistic and humorous. Melburnian Kiernan Box (ex-the Blackeyed Susans) joined the group on harmonica, organ, piano and piano accordion. The band produced Strange Bird independently; Donovan said this worked to their advantage as they felt more comfortable in their own studio, and that as a result Strange Bird was a better album than Sunset Studies, though the band's debut album was "probably received better by our fans." In response to previous complaints about misinterpretations of Richards' Sunset Studies wordplay, Augie March included a lyrics booklet with Strange Bird. Strange Bird was released by BMG as the band's second studio album in October 2002. It was also released by spinART Records in the United Kingdom in that month. It was re-released in the United States in September 2004. Strange Bird reached number 34 on the ARIA charts, while its lead single, "The Vineyard", peaked at number 31. Augie March undertook the Strange Bird Tour around Australia. The critical response to Strange Bird was largely positive, and by the