A remarkable thing about Coconut Records’ debut album “Nighttiming” is that it was recorded in one week.
More remarkable is the fact that the indie-rock band’s one member played all of the instruments.
The most remarkable attribute, however, is the member’s identity: Jason Schwartzman.
Best known as an actor in films like “Rushmore,” “I Heart Huckabees” and “Shopgirl,” Schwartzman is a seasoned musician who started the band Phantom Planet as a teenager.
Produced by Incubus’ Mike Einziger, “Nighttiming” is good – really good. The album is full of short, sweet songs that either paralyze you with their unusual harmonies or make you want to move to their danceable beats.
Listening to the first track, it is evident that Schwartzman isn’t just another actor with a band – he knows what he’s doing.
The stand-out songs on the album include “This Old Machine,” “West Coast,” “Back to You” and “It’s Not You, It’s Me.”
The album begins with the bittersweet “This Old Machine.” The humble vocal combination is reminiscent of Straylight Run, but the song’s style leans more toward Death Cab.
“West Coast” is a very catchy song – the kind you randomly start singing while on the bus. It feels innocent and features an abnormal but refreshing choral arrangement.
Bubble-gum pop from the 1960s is channeled in “Back to You.” The song sounds like a mixture of The Beatles and one-hit-wonders from the 1990s. One imagines Schwartzman as Shades in “That Thing You Do,” screaming fans included.
“It’s Not You, It’s Me” has the best lyrics on the entire album: “Six records in/Don’t know where to begin/Singing hey na na na na na na.” The song is energetic and makes you want to move. His lyrics are simple and sometimes folksy. His vocals are unobtrusive and friendly.
At the same time, there are few moments, if any, where you feel an emotional connection with the musician. The songs feel mostly like the complimentary Polaroids that Schwartzman sends with each CD order. They are just snapshots: personal without actually being intimate.
Schwartzman, a member of the Coppola family, only lets his star power manifest through the album’s guest musicians. Kirsten Dunst, Zooey Deschannel and Robert Carmine (Schwartzman’s brother and lead singer of Rooney) provide backup vocals.
“Nighttiming,” which was previously available online, hit independent record stores Tuesday. You can purchase the album at CDWorld or through youngbabyrecords.com.
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