Rooney

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Rooney: Taylor Locke, Robert Carmine (vocals, guitar); Ned Brower (vocals, drums); Louie Stephens (keyboards); Matthew Winter (bass).
Producers: Keith Forsey, Brian Reeves, Jimmy Iovine, Adam Kasper.
A knack for crafting impeccable power pop must be genetic, because Rooney vocalist/guitarist Robert Carmine serves up tasty bits of ear candy every bit as compelling as those of big brother Jason Schwartzman, who has done the same with his outfit Phantom Planet. Working with Billy Idol producers Keith Forsey and Brian Reeves, Rooney created a hook-packed debut slathered in tight guitar solos, a variety of keyboard textures, and the kind of songs that lodge in your head for extended periods of time.
Clocking in at just under 40 minutes, this 11-song, self-titled opus pays homage to all the appropriate sources, ranging from the Beach Boys (a harmony-soaked "Blueside") to Split Enz (the synth-flavored, snappy "Simply Because"). With a winsome whine of a vocal style reminiscent of Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, Carmine easily slips into the necessary frame of desperation needed for the yearning "Stay Away" as well as playing the misleading cad who leads an unsuspecting girl on in the New Wave-ish nugget "I'm a Terrible Person." Make room on the CD shelf for ROONEY, a debut that easily fits in alongside the Sloans, Material Issues, and Redd Krosses of the world.