Usually the whole actor turned musician thing ends up being a disaster but Jason Schwartzman actually does it right. Although he is known mostly for his acting career (The Darjeeling Limited, Rushmore, I Heart Huckabees), Schwartzman has been rocking the music industry for quite a while. He was the drummer and founder of the band Phantom Planet, whose hit single, “California” (The O.C. theme song), he composed. Recently however, he has gained attention for his solo project, Coconut Records.
His first album, Nighttiming, is the perfect potpourri of folksy tracks, rock and roll, a little bit of disco, and a whole lot of indie pop. Although he probably doesn’t like the comparison, his album sounds like it should be the soundtrack to a Wes Anderson movie. Better yet, it should be the soundtrack to my life (and yours for that matter).
Individually, each song is genius but if you’re a stickler for cohesiveness, this album might not be the best. He goes from the sweet melancholy hit single West Coast to a Weezer inspired Back to You to a lo-fi folk song duet with actress Kirsten Dunst in Summer Day. And if that’s not enough, he pulls out the disco number Nighttiming following right behind. Just as one gets used to a certain style of music, it changes unexpectedly.
Lyrically, his songs are straightforward and tend to be just the right kind of catchy. There’s a tinge of nostalgia and the summer season in every song on this album. Although the album is short (just a little over 30 minutes), several genres are present and this mixing of styles is executed well. At times though, it feels as if Schwartzman is just trying to prove that he can play every style of music out there. And luckily, he can.
Final Score: 8/10
Download worthy tracks (these are just the stand out ones, but really almost every song on the album is good):
- West Coast
- Nighttiming
- Summer Day
- It’s Not You It’s Me
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