Davy

Coconut RecordsDavy“I was the drummer in a band that you’ve heard of,” sings Jason Schwartzman, the sole member behind indie pop band Coconut Records. Modest. Schwartzman could sing about how he’s part of the Coppola Hollywood legacy, or about how his mother is Talia Shire (aka Mrs. Balboa). He could also sing about he played the classic character Max Fisher in Wes Anderson’s 1998 classic, Rushmore. The list goes on, but Schwartzman keeps things simple. Brief. Modest. These words describe Davy, his second solo album since leaving one-hit-wonders Phantom Planet where they belong - the bargain bin.

The 10 proper songs included here aren’t going to blow anyone away - not anyone who has heard a decent slice of the pop music cannon. Chances are, if you’re ever going to like Coconut Records, you’ll like it right away - from the first note. This is instantly accessible pop music that you’ll be singing along with after three spins. This is incredibly simple, easy going music that shamelessly takes from mid-era Beatles and early Kinks records - not to mention recent Of Montreal and even Ben Kweller (who Schwartzman sounds quite a bit like). Despite being in one of the most pretentious films of modern cinema (I Heart Huckabees, duh), our man comes off here as very unpretentious - almost as if he made these recordings for himself and just happened to somehow get them out on disc for the public. There’s no needlessly cutesy stuff, no unneeded instrumentation or flair. No unneeded nothing’, just 10 very modest, hummable tunes that will sound just as clean and youthful in 10 years as they do today.

Known for playing somewhat geeky and always quirky characters on the big screen, Schwartzman, the man, is here fleshed out more than ever - giving up more of himself than his hours spent on film have done. We get to hear him at his most personal - writing tunes about the this-and-that moments of his day-to-day life, never anything too profound. He sings in a subtle yet warm voice that easily and often reminds of the young man who brought Max Fisher to life a decade ago. There’s a drop of twang in his voice (though never his music) here and there, but, mostly, comes off like a one-man coffee shop version of mid-era Teenage Fanclub.

Playing every instrument on the record, Davy proves Schwartzman to be a competent musician (he plays drums, guitar, piano, bass and more) who more so excels more by way of his clear familiarity with pop music than his God given ability. Each song different from the next, Davy’s 10 tunes work as a tour de force through the subtleties of modern indie pop; the feelings here are so warm, friendly and fun that you just want to keep hitting play. And you’ll have to hit it often, as the proper tracklist (there are 13 superfluous bonus tracks) clocks in at just over 22 minutes. Turn this one up and smile bright.   9/10

Written by G. William Locke