Customer Reviews

Lets Bottle Bohemia

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before I begin let me spread out my musical credentials for you so that you'll trust my opinion a wee bit. I'm a guy who believes that "Pet Sounds" and "Astral Weeks" are the greatest records ever, who believes "Kid A" is Radiohead's best work, and who thinks that The Killers "Hot Fuss", Interpol's "Antics", Animal Collective's "Tung Songs", and The Thrills "Let's Bottle Bohemia" are the best discs of 2004. But the reason I think nobody gets that is that they haven't really listened to this album. If they'd give this album the time they gave "OK Computer" or that they poured into "Dissentergration" then they'd understand this as the masterpiece that it is.
The first two cuts from the album build to beautiful solos. The first one being a distorted Beatles riff and the second being a beautiful string arrangement. "Faded Beauty Queen" begins with the great line of "How did you do it? Oh she said, "Smoke and Mirrors, Anything for love" and when the mandolin kicks in on the second verse it's at that point that you are instantly hooked. "Saturday Night" is so deceptively hooky that it's unfair and "Not for All the Love in the World" is the best song Paul McCartney never got the chance to write. They continue through the rest of the album telling there view of California life and life in general and that's where a big problem that people have with this album comes from. On "So Much For the City" they were a band discovering California (which really is just there metaphor for life) for the first time, wide eyed and only seeing the good in it. Where as this time they are seeing it for what it really is fantastic but flawed, and they are reveling in the fact. Cause as they say the sweet is never as sweet without the sour.
So if I may suggest to you all give this album another 5 or 6 listens, and listen to it as an album is supposed to be heard, from beginning to end with no interruptions or skipping. And after 42 minutes of swirling guitars, solo's done with every instrument imaginable, great harmonies, Conor's laid back vocals, beautiful strings, jumpy basslines, key changes, and one of the most beautiful hidden tracks I've ever heard you'll realize that this might be the closest to a perfect pop record we've heard since "The Soft Bulliten". I mean come on, there's a reason they opened for The Pixies.

I was immediately swept away when i heard the Thrills first album, SMFTC. I have heard a lot of people complain that they lost their californian sound with Let's Bottle Bohemia. Although the songs are not as memorable the first time through, after a few listens this album clearly stands as another great album in the THRILLS career. Sure, the sound is different, more guitar driven, but it's more mature and I like it just as much, if not more, than the first album. The lyrics are more sophisticated and the arrangements include strings. My favorite songs on the album include Saturday Night and Tell Me Something I don't Know. But all the songs on the album contain that touch that only the THRILLS can put on a song. I really love the THRILLS and this album only strengthens my case that THE THRILLS are one of the best new bands. Let's hope they keep up the good work.

Actually I would give this a little below 4 stars, maybe a 3.7. I like the tunes on this CD, and some of the lyrics in the songs. I think the thrills poke fun at society a little in some of their songs. The Thrills make some really pretty songs and just about everyone sounds like something you would see in a dramatic movie or something. What I dislike about this CD is that it verges on being whiny at times. I'm not a huge fan of emo, and this CD sometimes comes close to being classified in that genre of music. Fortunately, it makes up for it with songs which are more lively than those of most emo bands. This CD is far from being perfect, but it is very fresh, and is a nice break from the typical radio music heard on the clear chanel waves today (thank GOD!)

Ok, 'So Much For The City' contained some of best catchy summer tunes you could wish for, but what the Thrills have come up with with their follow up, is a much more rounded and consistent album. This album is better than SMFTC but definately takes a few listens to get fully into it. Corey haim is the catchiest thing going here but then again its the catchiest song anyone has released in recent months. There are other gems on this record too....'not for all the love...' is sad but beautiful, while 'Found my rosebud' and 'The irish keep gate-crashing' are not like the pleasant acoustic guitar led songs of SMFTC, but they are equally as catchy and better allround songs. The lyrics are honest, the song writing is better and musically they have improved. Above all else, unlike SMFTC, there are no weak songs to drag this album down. As a whole, this is an excellent album that grows on you more and more with each listen. Bye it.

While maybe not as immediately catchy as the first four tracks on "So Much For The City," pleasures from the Thrills' quickly recorded follow-up to that small masterpiece lie deeper. The songwriting on their sophmore release--the awkwardly titled "Let's Bottle Bohemia"--is actually more complex than on SMFTC with dark lines like "you show your age/when you drown your rage/but I see past those laughter lines" from "Not For All the Love in the World" and "lust, top 40 fame.../I can smell your catholic shame" from "The Irish Keep Gate Crashing" offsetting the album's sunny, upbeat melodies. Some might argue that this is just more of the same from the Thrills who cut their teeth blending Irish angst with California cool, but since the first record worked so wonderfully, why change after just 11 months?

On LBB, singer Conor Deasy's tunes come rushing one after another until after just ten tracks--clocking in at a breezy 35 minutes--you're flushed with giddiness. And what could be so wrong with that?

I'm a 38 year old who came of age in the 80's. My tastes run toward hooky pop a la Replacements, New Radicals, Supergrass, Ryan Adams, Third Eye Blind, Prince, etc. I never heard the first Thrills album . . but I'm digging this. A few very hooky songs: Tell Me Something I Don't Know, Corey Haim, Irish Keep Gate Crashing. I'm going to buy their first one.

Well, I loved the first album 'SO Much For The City' by The Thrills. It kind of reminded me of how The Beach Boys sounded in the 70's; lots of banjo and great hooky melodies.

I'm sorry, but the trend doesn't continue on this album. The songs are very forgettable, and have none of the 'California sound'.

I have seen the video for the song 'Not For All The Love In The World' and quite like the song, but the chorus doesn't go where I imgaine it should :)
Every time I hear it, I want the last bar to go to a certain chord, but it doesn't and disappoints me :S

So, for me, the whole thing suffers from 'second album syndrome'; it sounds like they used up all their good material on the 1st album.

"Tell Me Something I Don't Know" (7/10)
"Whatever Happened To Corey Haim" (7/10)
"Faded Beauty Queen" (8/10)
"Saturday Night" (9/10)
"Not For All The Love In The World" (7/10)
"Our Wasted Lives" (7/10)
"You Can't Fool Old Friends With Limosines" (9/10)
"Found My Rosebud" (7/10)
"The Curse Of Comfort" (7/10)
"The Irish Keep Gate-Crashing" (9/10)

The Thrills' sophomore record is a solid effort. The songs are still catchy, and they seemed to have left their California sound behind (something i don't mind at all). Standout tracks include "The Irish Keep Gate-Crashing" and "You Can't Fool Old Friends With Limosines."

Overall rating: 7.7 out of 10.

Where is the magic from "So Much From the City?" What happened to the wonderful, lush harmonies and well laid out chord progressions. What happened to the fun, and often quirky lyrics? What happened to these guys in general?

I will admit, that their first album is a tough one to follow up. It was fun, and very unique with a definite Beach Boys vibe to it. This one I'd not compare so much to the Beach Boys as I would to Badfinger. It's Bad. And it pains me to say it, because I wanted everyone to know about these guys after I first heard So Much For the City. Now, I see these guys falling back to earth, into the back streets of Mediocrity USA. There is one highlight to this album which lead me to giving it 2 stars, and that is "Not For All The Love in The World." This is a great track, but can't make up for the lackluster leftovers on this album. My recommendation to the band is, take your time before kicking out album number 3. You can do better than this. And I wouldn't recommend fans of So Much For the City buy this. Just wait and hope that they do better in the next album.

I first saw the Thrills when they warmed up for Maroon 5 a number of years ago. The band impressed me by sticking around after their set and patiently signing autographs for fans and answering questions between their set and Maroon 5's.

"Let's Bottle Bohemia" is a highly melodic album with lots of great pop hooks. It's one of those albums that grows on you over time. Not sure about the MP3 version but the CD includes two hidden tracks so keep listening after the last listed song finishes. One of the two hidden tracks includes some nice lead guitar work with a psychedelic sound to it.