The Thrills - Big Sur

So much for the city. Tell me that you'll dance till the end.

Album: So Much For the City [debut album]
Genre: Indie, Indie Rock,
Album Release: May 27th 2003
Single Release: June 9th 2003 [3rd single]
Length: 3:07
Producer: Tony Hoffer
Vocalist: Conor Deasy
Label: Virgin Records

Music Video


Live on Jools Holland in 2003


The Monkees - [Theme From] The Monkees

Charts, Streams & Sales

Ireland (albums): #1
UK (albums): #3 [1x platinum]
UK (singles): #17
Spotify: 13,000,000 +
YouTube Music: 2,100,000 +
Irish Music Awards Winner 2003: Best Album
Mercury Prize Nominee 2003 [losing to Dizzee Rascal]

Credits

Bass, banjo, drums, guitar, keyboards

Details

• The Thrills are an indie rock group of five friends who grew up together in Dublin, Ireland. They're inspired by the 1960's pop acts of the American west coast such as The Monkees and this song, 'Big Sur', borrows heavily from 'Theme from The Monkees'. 'Big Sur' takes its names from a Californian mountain range and was written while the band were living in San Francisco after been dropped by Supremo Records.
  
  Even though the record does lift its melody from The Monkees it's far from a simple rehash. The Thrills' version has a musical complexity lacking in the original while it retains the easy on the ears, upbeat feel that made The Monkees song so infectious. Another difference is the use of a banjo in The Thrills version, which gives the it a slightly rural vibe.
  
  It must hurt the band that their biggest hit, 'Big Sur' was lifted from another group while their original compositions didn't find the same success. However, it wasn't their singles but their album that drew most attention. Their highest reaching single was #17 but their album topped the charts in their native Ireland and was nominated for the Mercury prize.
  
  
• I wasn't a fan of the indie rock bands from the 00's such as The White Stripes, The Killers and The Zutons but listening to The Thrills has made me think I might have judged them too harshly. The music is easy to get behind, doesn't require too much of your attention and has an energy that appealed to millions of people around the world. In the future, I'll give some of these albums a fair listen.
  
  
• The original name of the band was Cheating Housewives.
• Before working with The Thrills, producer Tony Hoffer had made records with Beck and Air.
  
  

Artwork