A less than thrilling debut for The Thrills: 'So Much for the City' lacks originality
By Jeff Renfro
The Thrills are not just another retro "The" band. Their unfortunate name should not discourage anyone from taking time to check out a young band with a lot of potential. The inconsistency of this debut is disappointing, but there is still hope for future releases.
The story of The Thrills' debut album, "So Much for the City," is almost as entertaining as actually listening to the album. The band (Conor Deasy-vocals, Daniel Ryan-guitar/vocals/bass, Ben Carrigan-drums, and Padraic McMahon-bass/vocals/guitar) consists of four young Dubliners who share a love for Neil Young style, American rock music. After the band signed a record contract in Dublin, they decided to travel to the United States in order to write and produce their debut. They decided that in order to get the true American rock experience, they would have to come to California. The band spent four months, writing and recording in a San Diego house, taking time to tour the California coast. What they created is both an ode to the state and an account of an outsider's experience in an alien land.
Even before listening to the album, the California influence is evident in the song titles "Santa Cruz (You're Not that Far)," "Big Sur," and "Hollywood Kids." The album features songs about trips to San Diego and romantic encounters in small, coastal towns. Overall, the feel of "So Much for the City" is very country/western oriented. Neil Young is obviously a huge influence on the band, but other American roots rock bands can be heard (a few of the songs are reminiscent of early Wilco).
The album starts with three stellar songs. "Santa Cruz (You're Not that Far)" begins with a slow, quiet tempo, but soon transforms into a song that the listener cannot help but tap their foot to.
The album's second track, "Big Sur," uses the popular California destination as the symbol of the end of a short-lived romance. The singer pleads with a young girl to stay at the beach so that they can continue their fling.
"Don't Steal Our Sun" is the strongest track on the album. The band includes several elements of bluegrass, and even a little Motown, to create a picture of the life of California youths. The drums set the tone, while keyboards create a fuller sound.
Unfortunately, the album falls off drastically after the infectious "One Horse Town." The last half of the album seems content to just imitate the band's influences, rather than innovate. The songs slow way down and just become too wistful; the songs lose their sense of fun. The Thrills are still a young band and the first half of their debut shows a lot of potential. Hopefully, for their next album they will learn from previous mistakes and continue to develop the aspects that make many of their songs so entertaining.
Grade: B
û Contact Jeff Renfro at (408) 554-4546 or jrenfro@scu.edu.