The Thrills | ||
| Allmusic Biography : When the Thrills made their international debut in 2003, the Dublin-based quintets sound was described variously as "sun-drenched," "sun-soaked," or just downright "sunny." Inspired by classic American pop of the late 60s and early 70s, the groups debut record was largely crafted amid successive summer jaunts to San Diego and San Francisco, CA, and perfected during the wet Irish winters during which the members worked to fund the trips. Name-checking Phil Spector, the Beach Boys, and Neil Young -- and boasting the likes of Morrissey, Oasis, and U2 among their highest-profile fans -- the Thrills were an anomaly as the garage rock revival swept across the Atlantic in both directions, yet their effortless pop sensibilities were enough to earn the group two Top Ten albums in as many years. The Thrills story begins in the Dublin suburb of Blackrock in the mid-90s, when neighbors Conor Deasy and Daniel Ryan (singer and bass guitarist, respectively) formed the Cheating Housewives with Gonzaga College classmates Ben Carrigan (drums), Kevin Horan (keyboards), and Pádraic McMahon (guitar). In 2001, they changed tack and became the Thrills. The band began writing and demoing material with a view to securing a record deal, which they soon did with local label Supremo Recordings, home of Chicks. For a time, the Thrills decided to eschew the bustling local live music scene that had spawned many young bands -- but few that shared the West Coast pop flavor that pervades their own music. However, through the first half of 2002, the groups sporadic gigs became battlefields for major-label executives to lobby for their signature. Later in 2002, the Thrills signed with Virgin Records, attracted by the promise of artistic freedom and the labels decision to allow them to record their debut record in Hollywood with producer Tony Hoffer (Beck, Air). In September, they were invited by Morrissey to open his show at the Royal Albert Hall in London, their first U.K. show, and in November they released their debut EP, Santa Cruz (Youre Not That Far). December saw the Thrills heading to L.A. to record what would become their first album. Returning to Dublin in 2003, the Thrills released their first single, "One Horse Town," in March, debuting at number seven in the Irish charts and number 18 in the U.K. So Much for the City was released in May, going straight to number one in Ireland and number three in the U.K., achieving platinum status several times over in both countries. Three more hit singles followed: "Big Sur" in March; "Santa Cruz (Youre Not That Far)" in August; and "Dont Steal Our Sun" in December. Released in September 2004, Lets Bottle Bohemia was again recorded in L.A., this time with D. Sardy and featuring orchestration by Van Dyke Parks and a guest mandolin performance by R.E.M.s Peter Buck. Though it debuted at number one in Ireland, it peaked at a disappointing number nine in the U.K., and barely registered overseas. Nevertheless, lead single "Whatever Happened to Corey Haim?" closed out 2004 as BBC Radio 1s most requested track, and the album achieved platinum status in Ireland in 2005. An extended break followed, as the Thrills aimed to evolve their sound. Their third album was originally recorded in New York in 2006, but didnt meet the bands standards. New material was written, including the single and opening track "Midnight Choir," and at R.E.M.s suggestion, the five relocated to a renovated morgue in inner-city Vancouver to re-record the album with Tony Hoffer. Teenager was released in June of 2007. Less polished and more aggressive than either of its predecessors, it failed to light up the British and Irish charts, selling just 600 copies in Ireland its first week and barely grazing the Top 50 in the U.K. In October of 2007, Teenager was released in the U.S. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 4 Title: Santa Cruz (You’re Not That Far) Released: 2002-11-11 Tracks: 4 Duration: 16:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Santa Cruz (You’re Not That Far) (03:52) 2 Deckchairs and Cigarettes (04:44) 3 Your Love Is Like Las Vegas (02:22) 4 Plans (05:17) |
 | Album: 2 of 4 Title: So Much for the City Released: 2003-06-30 Tracks: 11 Duration: 46:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Santa Cruz (You’re Not That Far) (04:13) 2 Big Sur (03:07) 3 Don’t Steal Our Sun (02:50) 4 Deckchairs and Cigarettes (04:58) 5 One Horse Town (03:14) 6 Old Friends, New Lovers (04:01) 7 Say It Ain’t So (02:44) 8 Hollywood Kids (05:33) 9 Just Traveling Through (03:21) 10 Your Love Is Like Las Vegas (02:22) 11 Til the Tide Creeps In / Plans (10:05) |
| So Much for the City : Allmusic album Review : Five friends who grew up together in Dublin, called the Thrills, have produced a remarkably neat debut album. At the heart of their sound is a professed love for the tunes of the American West Coast of the 60s and 70s. Set to a backdrop of Al Green, Carole King, and the Band, they quickly pieced together tracks for their debut album, So Much for the City, during a four-month holiday on a beach in San Diego. But the Thrills arent afraid to display more modern influences: a small audience at an Abbey Road gig was handed a one-sided 7" single with a cover of the Smiths classic "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me." Their band name is also partly inspired by Michael Jacksons LP Thriller, and they covered "Billie Jean" on the English television show RE:COVERED. The three singles stand out on first listen as being radio-friendly hits: "Big Sur" opens with a zap of electronic keyboards, is driven by a melancholic banjo riff, and reinterprets the lyrics from the Monkees theme: "Hey, hey youre the Monkees/People said you monkeyed around, but nobodys listening now." "Santa Cruz (Youre Not That Far)" has an inventive time-shifting melody and gorgeous backing vocals, but "One Horse Town," while being a satisfying slice of surf pop, is too repetitive and bland. There are moments when the Thrills produce some lavish, well-crafted pop songs: "Your Love Is Like Las Vegas" is a glorious uptempo anthem that features an inspired choppy guitar solo. Unfortunately, the slower songs on the album break up the uplifting momentum of the LP: "Hollywood Kids" and "Til the Tide Creeps In" just drag along and arent as successful as the simpler, jauntier numbers like the Dukes of Hazzard-style country-pop of "Say It Aint So." With its impeccable vocal harmonies, catchy hooks, breathy laid-back vocals, and upbeat simple tunes, this is perfect bubblegum music with a nostalgic sound that adopts the sun-seeking vibe and sound of the Golden State, but still manages to remain contemporary. As for the rest, the one-dimensional repetitive lyrics ("You said, Lets go to San Diego/Hey thats where all the kids go" on "Deckchairs and Cigarettes") do begin to irritate after a while, particularly when vocalist Conor Deasy constantly name-checks American cities. So it comes as no surprise that the band should record its debut LP in Los Angeles. Tony Hoffer, the producer behind Air, Beck, and the Smashing Pumpkins, offers a competent helping hand but the album would have benefited from a dirtier, bluesier sound; the production is far too polished, giving the LP a somewhat sterile feel. Still, So Much for the City is at times a beautifully rendered album with surprisingly solid songwriting; its an unashamedly nostalgic musical postcard from the American West Coast. As a first LP, it shows signs of real promise, but it remains to be seen what direction the Thrills will follow next. They simply cant keep on borrowing from the Americana musical gold mine for much longer, because they couldnt sustain listener interest across the space of a second album. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 4 Title: Lets Bottle Bohemia Released: 2004-09-13 Tracks: 11 Duration: 46:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Tell Me Something I Dont Know (03:56) 2 Whatever Happened to Corey Haim? (03:34) 3 Faded Beauty Queens (03:40) 4 Saturday Night (02:31) 5 Not for All the Love in the World (04:06) 6 Our Wasted Lives (03:46) 7 You Cant Fool Old Friends With Limousines (03:12) 8 Found My Rosebud (04:19) 9 The Curse of Comfort (03:01) 10 Santa Cruz (Youre Not That Far) (04:13) 11 The Irish Keep Gate-Crashing (10:09) |
| Let's Bottle Bohemia : Allmusic album Review : The Thrills debut record, So Much for the City, lived up to the bands name and then some. Thrilling, epic, fun, funny, and at times brilliant, it was a debut that seemed difficult to follow, and indeed, Lets Bottle Bohemia cant quite live up to its promise. Its a good little rock & roll record, though. The songs are concise and melodic, Conor Deasys voice still breathlessly winds its way into your heart, and the band still sounds tight and wire-sharp as before. There are quite a few killer songs, too, like "Tell Me Something I Dont Know," which opens the disc with a rollicking blast of rock & roll fervor; "Whatever Happened to Corey Haim?," a bouncing pop song built on a funky keyboard line and bolstered by a Van Dyke Parks-arranged string section; the melancholy ballad "Not for All the Love in the World"; and the swirling "The Irish Keep Gate-Crashing." What is missing is the sense of wide-eyed wonder and excitement, both from the band and for the listener. The band wrote the record while touring and, like many conceived that way, the lyrics are a little forced and uninspired, the subjects not as immediately interesting as the California worship of So Much. The record is helmed by D. Sardy (who has worked with bands like Bush, Marilyn Manson, and System of a Down), and he manages to pull off the deadly combo of over-produced and under-arranged. The songs are very slick sounding and most lack the little instrumental hooks and dynamic shifts that, again, made the debut so much fun to listen to. The listener cant get quite as worked up both because the band is no longer new and because the record is so obviously cut from the same cloth as So Much for the City, only now the cloth is a little faded. Still, a faded Thrills disc is more exciting and invigorating than 98 percent of the records out there, and theres absolutely nothing for the band to be ashamed of on Lets Bottle Bohemia. If this was their first album, people would be gushing over it, proclaiming that the Thrills are full of promise, a band to watch, and all those other clichés pop writers love so much. So take this for what its worth: a really good record by a potentially great rock & roll band. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 4 Title: Teenager Released: 2007-07-22 Tracks: 11 Duration: 40:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Midnight Choir (03:41) 2 This Year (02:55) 3 Nothing Changes Around Here (04:12) 4 Restaurant (03:27) 5 I Came All This Way (03:40) 6 Long Forgotten Song (03:16) 7 Im So Sorry (02:52) 8 No More Empty Words (03:23) 9 Teenager (03:25) 10 Shouldve Known Better (03:30) 11 Theres Joy to Be Found/The Boy Who Caught All the Breaks (06:34) |
| Teenager : Allmusic album Review : As the title of their third studio effort plainly indicates, the Thrills have grown up significantly since the release of their last album, Lets Bottle Bohemia, in 2004. In retrospect, theyll admit that more than a years break was needed between the release of their multi-platinum debut So Much for the City and its follow-up; their commercial prospects took a dive, and the youthful optimism which shone through their early work as bright as the Pacific Coast sun was broken beyond repair. Their music still recalls a uniquely American stable of songwriters -- Buffalo Springfield, the Beach Boys, Jackson Browne -- but its no accident that the influence of Manchester idols the Smiths has emerged more strongly than before. Winding Johnny Marr-like guitar lines add a sense of melancholy to the brighter sounds of piano, acoustic guitar and mandolin, while the rhythm section has beefed itself up considerably, rendering the opening paring of "The Midnight Choir" and "This Year" among the most aggressive tracks in the bands repertoire. Frontman Conor Deasy has finally repaid the faith placed in him by longtime fan Morrissey, reaching a level of introspectiveness and brutal honesty scarcely imaginable on previous albums. "Shouldve Known Better" sounds as if it could have emerged from Neil Youngs Tonights the Night sessions, as Deasy repeatedly proclaims "I envy your youth" to the backdrop of slide guitar and sparse, unyielding piano chords. The album was recorded in a converted morgue in one of Vancouvers most deprived neighborhoods -- at the suggestion of R.E.M. -- and the image of youthful idealism meeting cold reality is too perfect to ignore. Its a good thing too; adversity has brought out the best in the Thrills, and Teenager can stand as the groups crowning glory to date. | ||