THERE'S JOY TO BE FOUND

If Thrills singer Conor Deasy could relive his youth all over again, there would be a few things he’d do differently.

"I'd wear cooler clothes, to start," he says. "I would definitely have thrown out a few grunge records I picked up along the way."

As a teenager, one’s sense of identity is incredibly important, adds Deasy.

"Obviously, you're pinning it onto all kinds of reference points -- usually bands," he tells Sounding Off. "It's how young people like to define themselves. When you get older, maybe it becomes books or films, but there's something about youth and music that's so intertwined."

A youthful feel runs throughout the Irish rock quintet's latest album, Teenager, released Oct. 23 in the United States via Capitol Music Group.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a great Phil Spector or early Beatles track, like 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' -- really straight to the point and not cryptic for the sake of it, very much of the moment," explains Deasy. "But because it became one of those albums that took a while to make, it was unlikely that we were going to stay within such a narrow framework. So the theme became a little wider, and I think it also became an album about getting a bit older, and what (youth means) to a middle-aged person. There's quite a bit of melancholy on the album, as well as optimism."

Teenager could have been a double album, Deasy says, but in the end, the band members decided "to resist our temptation."

"Last Christmas, we were about to deliver the record to the label, and that would have meant that we would have been roughly on schedule and roughly within our budget," he explains. "But at the last minute, we decided to write some more songs. At the time, I thought maybe we were losing our minds a little bit. ... But really, 'The Midnight Choir,' 'This Year' and 'Restaurant,' which are all at the very top of the record, they all came together in that last stretch of creativity."

The Thrills will perform songs from Teenager on Friday (Nov. 9) at the Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St. in Manhattan. Go to www.mercuryloungenyc.com for more information.

The official Thrills site is www.thethrills.com.

JUST A THOUGHT

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood recently announced they will play three shows together (Feb. 25, 26 and 28) at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.

This isn't just a random pairing, of course. Back in the day, Clapton and Winwood were members of Blind Faith.

Hey, Eric, here's something to chew on while you're in a reunion state of mind: Bobby Whitlock, your old mate from Derek and the Dominos, is alive and well in Austin, Texas. Care to consider doing a couple of shows with him in the near future?

XL MARKS THE SPOT

In Rainbows, the new Radiohead album, will have an international physical release Dec. 31.

Billboard.com reports that XL Recordings will issue CD and vinyl versions of the album that day outside of the United States. Label details regarding a physical U.S. release have not been finalized, according to the site.