ROONEY - A Truly Californian Band: The CD Collection (2003-2011) UPGRADED

Rooney is a vintage pop-rock and garage-inspired combo with deep Californian roots. The musicians draws on some obvious influences – The Beach Boys, Queen, The Cars – to craft its own promising sound. Their music is reminiscent of British Invasion Rock and 1980s Power Pop, and has been compared to The Beatles, Blur, Jellyfish and Cheap Trick. Having toured the nation with acts such as Weezer, Kelly Clarkson and The Strokes, Rooney's official website states that the band "manages to capture elements from the past four decades and make them sound modern today". At this time, the collection includes all of officially released albums.

Eponymous major-label debut album from Californian retro-leaning band Rooney. A combination of light heated melodic power pop, and emotional indie rock. This special edition has two extra tracks than the comparable US or Japan version: "Floor" and "Make Some Noise".

Robert Carmine paid attention to what his older siblings were listening to while he was growing up, later taking note from big brother Jason Schwartzman and his band, Phantom Planet. Carmine and pals compose Rooney, and their self-titled debut is roughcast with chunky riffs and magnetic harmonies, slyly challenging Phantom Planet's glossy pop sound at the same time. Producers Keith Forsey and Brian Reeves craft a solid mix of power-chord punk and chamber pop bits for a dynamite collection. It's sunny rock & roll, really and incredibly fresh in avoiding any kind of comparison to Weezer. The first three tracks introduce Rooney's infectious indie pop style, showcasing how sharp the band is in and outside the studio. "Blueside" flirts with '60s surf rock while "Stay Away" churns such energy for a jagged, punk cut. The listener should be sucked in by now thanks to Rooney's boyish charm. If not, the playful, jilted love song "If It Were Up to Me" will leave you swooning. Rooney relishes in the band's youth, concentrating on getting the perfect hook without sounding too silly. The five-piece are barely old enough to drink, yet they deliver a real rock sound that's rich in emotion and cleverness. From the swanky guitar work of "I'm Shakin'" to the Cars-inspired "Simply Because", Rooney's sweet demeanor is undeniable. The album's quirky appeal is reflective of Rooney's self-assuredness as musicians, and likely characteristic of where the band stands personally.

~ MacKenzie Wilson, all media guide

Tracklist:

01. Blueside
02. Stay Away
03. If It Were Up To Me
04. I'm A Terrible Person
05. Popstars
06. I'm Shakin'
07. Daisy Duke
08. Sorry Sorry
09. That Girl Has Love
10. Simple Because
11. Losing All Control
12. The Floor [UK Bonus Track]
13. Make Some Noise [UK Bonus Track]
14. Sorry Sorry [Live Video).mov [DATA Track]
15. Blueside [Live video].mov [DATA Track]

all songs written by Robert (Schwartzman) Carmine


Produced and Engineered by Keith Forsey and Brian Reeves, except
track "6" - Produced and Engineered by Jimmy Iovine & Adam Kasper
Mixed by Andy Wallace. Mastered by Bernie Grundman.

• Robert (Schwartzman) Carmine - vocals, guitar
• Taylor Locke - guitar, backing vocals
• Matthew Winter - bass
• Louie Stephens - keyboards
• Ned Brower - drums, backing vocals

Original Release Date: May 20, 2003
This Special Edition: June 9, 2003
Format: Enhanced, Extra tracks
Label: Polydor U.K.
Catalog No.: INTW 32031



The sunny, hooky power pop of Rooney's sophomore effort, Calling The World, follows in the footsteps of the band's assured 2003 debut. Their second album "Calling The World" - a rock/pop manifesto and contribution to the rock-pop body of work initiated by The Beatles and The Beach Boys and propagated by subsequent groups such as Queen, E.L.O., Cheap Trick, The Cars, Jellyfish and Weezer. Producer John Fields recorded "Calling The World" with Rooney in Los Angeles by harnessing the band's expert musicianship via live takes and extemporaneous improvisations, at times even using a laptop to capture the urgency of the moment. The first single from "Calling the World" is "When Did Your Heart Go Missing?" - an effervescent head-bobber with an infectious chorus. Other songs from the album include "Believe In Me", a driving synth-propelled call for a leap of faith, "What For" a breezy and melodic slice of friendly advice, and "Help Me Find My Way". Detractors may be tempted to label Rooney as little more than a retro exercise in pop history, since even when the songs diverge into new stylistic territory – as they do with the orchestral sweep of the mini-rock opera "I Should Have Been After You" or the angular jam of "Paralyzed" – they seem to reference famous art rock and new wave forebears. But Rooney aren't out to blaze new trails: this is fun, playful sunny rock that is listener-friendly from start to finish.

Four years passed between Rooney's self-titled debut and its follow-up, Calling the World – virtually a lifetime when it comes to many listeners' attention spans. The band spent that time recording and scrapping two albums' worth of material and dealing with label problems; while waiting so long to release new music was a risky move, it probably wasn't as risky as releasing music they didn't believe in completely. As it turns out, Calling the World is a pretty safe bet. Musically speaking, nothing has changed drastically in the band's world since its debut: they still write boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, and boy-gets-over-girl songs, and they still have a knack for loading those songs with plenty of hooks, harmonies, and catchy melodies, all of which are especially apparent on "When Did Your Heart Go Missing?" and the feisty "Don't Come Around Again." However, Calling the World's songs aren't quite as sunny and innocent as Rooney's were. "Are You Afraid?" drives its question home with bombastic, claustrophobic keyboards and paranoid android backing vocals; "All in Your Head"'s insistence that a relationship is purely fictional is almost as cruel as it is catchy. Rooney also update their sound by expanding their influences by a few years, and at times, Calling the World feels like a collection of lost singles from the late '70s and early '80s: "I Should've Been After You"'s guitar heroics, lush buildups, and big harmonies take a page from Queen's playbook, and "Tell Me Soon" feels like a less quirky update of ELO's orchestral pop. Later, "Love Me or Leave Me"'s airy synths and "Paralyzed"'s chunky rhythms nod to new wave and straight-ahead '80s pop/rock. As faithfully as Rooney re-create these sounds on Calling the World, it sometimes feels like the band doesn't bring enough of its own identity to these songs. "What For" is an exception: yes, its limpid guitar lines and pianos can trace their lineage to George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, but the song's genuinely sweet sentiments make it one of the album's most unique songs. Calling the World might not be radically inventive, but its solid songcraft and playful shout-outs to rock history are a lot of fun.

~ Heather Phares, all media guide

Tracklist:

01. Calling The World
02. When Did Your Heart Go Missing?
03. I Should've Been After You
04. Tell Me Soon
05. Don't Come Around Again
06. Are You Afraid?
07. Love Me Or Leave Me
08. Paralyzed
09. What For
10. All In Your Head
11. Believe In Me
12. Help Me Find My Way
13. Get Away [Bonus Track]
14. Jump In My Bed [Bonus Track]
15. Sleep Song [Bonus Track]

all songs written by Robert Schwartzman


Produced, Recorded and Mixed by John Fields except
track "13" - Produced by Tony Hoffer, Mixed by J. Fields
Recorded at Seedy Underbelly, Big Brown Sound, The Boat, The Pass and Encore Recording Studios

• Robert Schwartzman - vocals, guitar
• Taylor Locke - guitar, vocals
• Matthew Winter - bass
• Louie Stephens - keyboards
• Ned Brower - drums, vocals

Original Release Date: July 7, 2007
Japanese Release: August 29, 2007
Label: Universal Music Japan
Catalog No.: UICF-1089



After release of "Calling The World", Rooney became free agents, not attached to any record label. The new self-released EP "Wild One" was exclusively available only at live shows…

Tracklist:

01. Suckceed
02. I Don't Understand
03. Wild One
04. The Days Keep Going By


Produced & Engineered by Rooney. Mixed by Dave Trumfio
Mastered by Dave McNair at Sterling Sound.

• Robert Schwartzman - vocals, guitar
• Taylor Locke - guitar, vocals
• Matthew Winter - bass
• Louie Stephens - keyboards
• Ned Brower - drums, vocals

Release Date: 2009
Label: Rooney Records (Self-released)
Catalog No.: none
Barcode: 884501238472



The third full-length album by the American alternative rock band Rooney. 'Alternative press' described it as "Eureka dabbles in blue-eyed soul, classic rock and soft rock". Rehabilly promouted it as "Not as good as their previous records, but still have an enjoyable moments".

“What happened to the golden days? Was it just another teenage craze?”. So asks Robert Schwartzman on Eureka, Rooney's third record in seven years. Schwartzman and company first appeared in 2003, armed with a summery debut album whose songs bridged the gap between their parents' record collections and their schoolmate's iPods. The music referenced the past without ignoring the present, and the fact that Rooney's members were all great looking – Schwartzman and drummer Ned Brower even worked as part-time actors – helped them stand out in L.A., a city crowded with retro-chic musicians and aspiring rock stars. Rooney never quite "made it" in the eyes of Geffen Records, though, and the label dropped them from its roster after 2007's Calling the World. Released three years later, Eureka finds the guys stuck between pining for the golden days and looking toward the future, resulting in a track list that's sometimes tuneful and often haphazard.

Somewhere along the way, Rooney seem to have gotten caught up in the technical aspect of making old-sounding albums. Both Calling the World and Eureka are expertly recorded, but neither can match the hooks found on Rooney's debut, and vintage production only carries an album so far. If anything, Eureka is more about atmosphere, meaning songs like "Into the Blue" – soft rock tunes that place as much emphasis on guitar effects and general ambience as the melodies themselves – fare the best. The more straightforward pop numbers are the ones that take a bigger hit; "I Can't Get Enough" trades style for substance and "You're What I'm Looking For" cheapens its Heartbreakers-worthy guitar riff with a lackluster chorus, making genuinely strong material like "Holdin' On" the exception rather than the rule. Rooney deserves some applause for taking their first steps as an independent band, but this is far from their best work.

~ Andrew Leahey, allmedia guide

Tracklist:

01. Holdin' On
02. I Can't Get Enough
03. Only Friend
04. Into The Blue
05. All Or Nothing
06. The Hunch
07. I Don't Wanna Lose You
08. Stars And Stripes
09. Go On
10. You're What I'm Looking For
11. Not In My House
12. Don't Look At Me
13. I Don't Wanna Lose You (Acoustic Version) [Bonus track]
14. Can't Put Your Heart Around Everyone [Bonus track]
15. Go On (Acoustic Version) [Bonus track]
16. Pity [Bonus track]

all songs written by Robert Schwartzman
except "4" by Louie Stephens, and "6" by Brower/Locke


Produced and Engineered by Rooney
Recorded at California Dreamin' Records
Mixed at Chateau Trumfio by Dave Trumfio
Mastered at Sterling Sound by Dave McNair.

• Robert Schwartzman - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Taylor Locke - lead guitar, backing vocals
• Louie Stephens - keyboards, piano, backing vocals
• Ned Brower - drums, backing vocals
- Matthew Winter - bass guitar

Original Release Date: June 6, 2010
Japanese Release: March 2, 2011
Label: Sony Music Japan
Catalog No.: SICP-3032


What's new:
"Wild One" EP has added.

Find more ROONEY's tracks on compilations

See the links in the comments - by flac jacket to an additional material