While we’re on the subject of actors/actresses going into music (or vice versa) …
I heart Huckabees. No. Seriously, I heart that movie. It introduced me to Jason Schwartzman and made me fall in love with anything he does (except, of course, “Bewitched”). So naturally when he started his new band Coconut Records, I was on board. Nighttiming debuted in 2007 and in the beginning of this year, Schwartzman released the follow-up, Davy.
Like the debut, Davy is chock-full of light, folky influences with plenty of piano and guitar to go around. “Microphone” opens up the record with a catchy guitar melody while other songs show a range of influences.
“Wandering Around” has sweet-sounding backing vocals that may just conjure up visions of the Beach Boys while “Drummer” not only almost mockingly reminds us that he used to be the drummer of Phantom Planet (“I was the drummer in a band that you’ve heard of/Isn’t that the way it goes?”), but also shows the strong Beatles influence with big horns and drum beats.
Like Nighttiming‘s “West Coast” Schwartzman shows that his first major band still influences him with “The Summer” on Davy, whose intro has a piano melody quite similar to Phantom Planet’s major hit, “California”.
I was never really a fan of Phantom Planet so I feel bummed that I never got to see him go crazy behind his kit. But the way he molds his songs together with light-hearted, summery sounds in Coconut Records is good enough for me.
Besides, there’s always YouTube.
Buy the album at our record store on Amazon
Here are some other great articles from Enter the Shell that you should probably check out:
Enter the Shell – Greg Holden Live
Album Review – Thank Me Later by Drake
Artist of the Week – Sara Bareilles
Album Review – Come Around Sundown by Kings of Leon
Enter the Shell – Jon LaJoie