MASTEDONIA

Up & Coming

*ALBUM REVIEW*
From Up & Coming - April 21st, 2004

Rooney Too Good To Be True

Rooney is the kind of band you just want to hate. They've got that perfect Indie pop hair, that perfect Indie pop dress code, that cool, Indie pop 'tude, and that youthful, Indie pop exuberance that perfectly compliments their So-Cal heartbreaker looks.
The L.A.-based quintet is composed of Taylor Locke, guitar; Matthew Winter, bass; Louie Stephens, keyboards; Ned Brower, drums; and Robert Carmine, lead singer. It's Carmine in particular that you'd really like to put "against the wall," as they say. And why not? It's easy to hate - Carmine, aka Robert Schwartzman, brings a myriad of connections and advantages to the band. For example, Carmine has several "ins" in the biz. He costarred in The Princess Diaries and The Virgin Suicides. His brother, actor and Phantom Planet rocker Jason Schwartzman, starred in Rushmore. His mother is Talia Shire - Rocky's Adrian. Want more damning evidence that Rooney and Carmine are destined for greatness? Consider this: Carmine hangs out with Johnny Ramone on a regular; the band's first gig was opening for Phantom Planet to a rabid response; Internet traffic concerning Rooney had song swapping reaching a critical mass even before the first track had been laid down on their first, self-titled, album. To top all that off, Rooney landed a record deal with Geffen without having to undergo the trials and tribulations of a grueling nine-month stuck-in-a-smelly-van tour, hacking out a name and a niche for themselves. In the eyes of some hard core Indie scene watchers, Rooney's meteoric rise equates to zero street cred.
However, just when you want to line them up against the wall, you hold your fire - because, love them or hate them, Rooney's brand of irresistible power pop is as infectious as it is fun, and is destined to be as timeless and catchy as the bands that provided them inspiration.
This new fab five, whose average age isn't high enough to purchase alcohol, is the result of a rock n' roll sci-fi experiment in which you'd splice the Beach Boys (Pet Sounds era) with Weezer and add a molecule of The Ramones, The Beatles and The Kinks. Those are heady names to draw comparisons to, but Rooney more than lives up to expectation on their debut CD. These kids, whose pedigree and success is quickly qualifying them as newcomer veterans, may look like The Ramones, but they play like The Beatles. Their brand of retro-60's harmonies is simply amazing and shows a degree of polish and energy that some bands don't come into until their second or third album.
Speaking of which, Rooney's self-titled CD is an 11-track collection of classic pop rock, complete with sugar sweet guitars and keyboards, as well as catchy, hum-along tunes that stay in the brain long after you've hit play. Of the 11, there are several tracks that bear mentioning. "Blueside" is the opening track, and one that's hard to get past - I must have hit repeat about a dozen times before forcing myself to move on. "Blueside" has heavenly harmony and a velvet glove touch for power pop. It's probably the best track on the CD, but that's not to say that it's downhill from there. Not at all. "If It Were Up To Me" is a nod to teenage love angst that's so reminiscent of Weezer that you'll find yourself checking your player to make sure you've inserted the right CD. "Popstars," meanwhile, offers a more intelligent and poignant look at the music industry that shows that Rooney has more to talk about than 'tweeny love tunes. "I'm Shakin'" is another great track that features catchy vocals and a memorable hook that leaves you 'sh-sh-shakin.'
Love 'em or hate 'em, Rooney is here to stay. And that's a good thing - few band have the ability to come along and revitalize an entire genre, but Rooney does.