'Space-cowboy' pretenders

Seriously, so much for the city. These guys sound so sick of the California stock that they feel the need to sonically reference old school retreatists the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. It's kind of perplexing to find out that The Thrills are actually from Dublin.\nActually, the hometown fits because the musicians don't seem quite too sure what they're so upset about. When Conor Deasy sings "those Hollywood stars gotta pay" on "Hollywood Kids," he's not so convincing. Sure, the music is a pretty encapsulation of late '60s country-rock, but when every hip town in the state is namechecked it takes on a by-the-numbers feel. Beachwood Sparks tends to do exactly (seriously, exactly) what The Thrills do with considerable more playfulness and invention.\nWhen the organ swells just in time for a harmonica solo all while being backed by an oppressive string section, it gets just a little tiresome. The Thrills find fascinating hooks that are as good as the bands they are obviously influenced by, the problem is that there is usually one per song and it gets repeated. On the album's single, "Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far)," I counted the tag line 15 times, which gives it a shelf life of about two days.