Brotherly Love: Jason and Robert

July 25th, 2007

Rooney – Robert Carmine (Schwartzman) second from right

Mama and Papa Schwartzman, you should be proud. I mean, you popped out two extremely talented boys, Robert and Jason – and might I add they aren’t too hard on the eyes either. So why do these boys need to be acknowledged on this blog? Well because their music is so undeniably good.

Jason, being the most recognizable of the Schwartzmans, is an indie favourite as he’s starred in such cult classics as Rushmore, Shopgirl and most recently in his cousin Sofia’s film Marie Antoinette. But for those of you that don’t know, Mr. Schwartzman used to play drums for a Californian rock outfit called Phantom Planet – ah yes, I’ve mentioned them before but this band has a special place in my heart. It’s been a while since I’ve heard anything from this multi-talented star but in the past year there was buzz that Jason was working on a new record.

Fortunately, all this buzz was in fact true! Jason was working away at a new solo project called Coconut Records. In the past month or so, Coconut Records put out the album Nighttiming which is reminiscent of early Beach Boys mixed with a hint of Velvet Underground. This record probably has to be one of my favourite records of the summer. It’s a feel good record and you can never have enough of those in your collection! Seriously though, as if this record couldn’t get anymore charming Jason gets his current gf Zooey Deschanel to sing backing vocals on one of the tracks and yeah surprisingly it is really good. What shocks me most about this gem is the fact that Jason Schwartzman actually has a wicked set of pipes…

Speaking of pipes, let’s talk about the lesser known Schwartzman, Robert. Ah yes, the younger bro to Jason is also an actor/singer. He has put the acting thing aside (you may remember him as the dorky love interest to Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries) and decided to focus solely on his band Rooney. Good idea considering the fact that the band was generating a lot of hype with their debut record. Hell, they even toured with The Strokes! And if The Strokes think they’re cool, then they’re cool – they’ve certainly got the street cred…

Recently, the band just released their second record Calling The World and their first single When Did Your Heart Go Missing is so addictive! I didn’t think it was possible for two brothers to release two records of the same caliber. Unlike, Coconut Records, Rooney is much more dancey.

First off, can we discuss how freakin’ sexy the video for When Did Your Heart Go Missing is? Very unlike the group…but Benny Boom (who usually directs hip-hop/r&b videos) stepped behind the lens for their video and is able to add his trademark sexiness to it…and I love it!

Posted on Wednesday, July 25th, 2007 at 5:16 pm by Jen and is filed under MuchRadar.