So Much for the City
One might assume that a band from Dublin called the Thrills would sound a certain way. And one might well be wrong. If northern garage grit is what you're looking for, skipSo Much for the City, because this quartet sounds owes less to Northern Ireland forbearers such asStiff Little Fingers, theUndertones, andThin Lizzythan to gentle Southern California denizens like the earlyEagles,Harvest-eraNeil Young, and, strange to say, the Carpenters. More contemporary cousins would be theJayhawksat their sprightliest. An Irish Americana band with a taste for the lighter side of the country-rock/'70s pop-rock spectrum is certainly an anomaly, and not necessarily an appealing one, but the Thrills approach the California myth with a winning guilelessness and plenty of talent. The story is that that the foursome settled in San Diego and set about soaking up more than just the sun. Songs such as "Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far)," "Big Sur," and "Hollywood Kids," tell a kind of love story--one between some lads and a beautiful setting, or maybe a state of mind.--Steven Stolder