So Much for the City

Thrills (Ireland) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 4, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin
• ASIN: B00009AQM9
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,485 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Santa Cruz (You're Not The Far)

2. Big Sur

3. Don't Steal Our Sun

4. Deckchairs And Cigarettes

5. One Horse Town

6. Old Friends, New Lovers

7. Say It Ain't So

8. Hollywood Kids

9. Just Traveling Through

10. Your Love Is Like Las vegas

11. 'Til The Tide Creeps In

Editorial Reviews

11 Tracks - 1. Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far) 2. Big Sur 3. Don't Steal Our Sun 4. Deckchairs And Cigarettes 5. One Horse Town 6. Old Friends, New Lovers 7. Say It Ain't So 8. Hollywood Kids 9. Just Travelling Through 10. You

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Debut, October 3, 2003

By 

carson (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Much for the City (Audio CD)

At a time when losing hope in America is fashionable, it's refreshing to see that that great country can still inspire people to create such wonderful music. Southern California'll do that to you, if you let it, and it seems that The Thrills have eagerly taken on the sounds of summer on the west coast.

As mentioned in other reviews, the vocals on this disc are brilliant. Conor Deasy adopts an admirable accent (I can't tell he's from Dublin), and sings to his (and hopefully your) heart's content. His voice reminds me most of Jason Lytle, the lead singer of a great California band you might know called Grandaddy. After that, I can see the previous comparisons to Neil Young et al.

Now, as for the CD as a whole, it's a treat! If you've heard The Shins, Beachwood Sparks, Beulah, The Beach Boys, Grandaddy, Apples in Stereo, or just about any of the E6 Collective bands, and enjoyed their albums, you'll totally dig this disc. Or, if you already enjoy The Thrills, make sure you check out some of, no, all of those bands. So Much For the City is a laid-back Sunday evening on the beach, without being as sad and bluesy as Young's On the Beach. It's a cuddly, energetic puppy without that tint of insanity Wilson brings out in Pet Sounds. It's a darn good album!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Sound of Sunshine, October 13, 2004

By 

Gianmarco Manzione (Tampa, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: So Much for the City (Audio CD)

This album is like listening to sunshine. As radiant with melody as "Pet Sounds" or "Younger Than Yesterday," "So Much for the City" is neither too derivative of its influences nor too removed from them to rival their majesty. That this album would be considered a landmark of rock 'n roll had it been released in the late 60s may make a case for the criticism it gets as self-conscious -- but tell me what art is NOT self conscious? All art is in some way derivative of some particular sphere of influence, otherwise it could not exist. And anyway, if self-consciousness sounds this gorgeous, I'll take it over confidence any day of the week. These guys get it just right: a perfect balance of explosiveness ("One Horse Town"; "Don't Steal Our Sun") and restraint ("Deckchairs and Cigarettes"; "'Til The Tide Comes In"). However, I think that critics who accuse The Thrills of of an overwhelming awareness of their roots are actually responding to the album's considerable loss of momentum towards the second half. Suddenly the crackling melodies are replaced by vaguely interesting organ solos, drum beats and a scant few guitar licks. Songs like "Old Friends, New Lovers" or "Hollywood Kids" tend to meander where earlier tracks knew exactly where they wanted to go and got there in a hurry, and the result is a kind of tired and inferior rehashing of well-worn musical territory. But the glorious and resounding bursts of harmonica and organ on the closer, "'Til The Tide Creeps In" are so moving as to resurrect the entire album into a near-masterpiece. Indeed I think it is just that: an album that aspires toward immortality and only misses by a hair.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love at first listen, July 18, 2003

By 

Bernie Howitt (Avoca Beach, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Much for the City (Audio CD)

Remember the sheer, unadulterated joy of love at first sight? The real thing: heart thumping, stomach sinking intensity as you lose yourself in the depths of those endless brown eyes? That moment hits exactly 43 seconds into this stunning debut album from Dublin's The Thrills.

In the opening "Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far)" the harmonies kick in on the first "far" and you are lost, swept away on a wave of melody and passion that keeps up throughout the album. This is a record that reminds you of why you devoted yourself to rock'n'roll in the first place. After forty years of listening, a sound can still emerge to captivate your soul, swell your heart and put a smile on your face all day long. The Thrills show you that music does still matter.

It's an album that sparkles and shines under a summer sun, capturing the subtlety of a soft evening breeze, the easy laziness caught perfectly in Conor Deasy's languid, beguiling request to "don't change a thing" in "Deckchairs and Cigarettes". You keep returning to the unique sound of Deasy's vocals, somehow timeless and indescribable, and always absolutely perfect for the song. It's a rare feat on a debut album to achieve such a depth of sound, and producer Tony Hoffer must get credit for leading such a new band through the recording process so effectively.

The songs are gems, echoing the band's experience of both Dublin and California, without ever becoming a pale imitation of either. "One Horse Town" has a chorus that has you singing along from the first listen, "Old Friends, New Lovers" starts like a James Bond outtake before unwinding into a heartbreaking chorus, while "Your Love Is Like Las Vegas" contains the truly wonderful put down, "Your love is like a city I visited...I could only afford one weekend".

It's unfair to single out individual songs on what is an inspirational collection that needs to be listened to in its entirety for maximum impact. It's exciting, powerful and life-affirming music that really does sweep you to any place you prefer to be. As a debut album I have no doubt it will eventually rank right up there with the greats, the start of a body of work that will place The Thrills on a par with their musical inspirations.

Absolutely recommended.