“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 takes its cues from past albums while leaving room for new styles -- including forays into soft rock, blue-eyed soul, and self-conscious vintage kitsch. ~ Andrew Leahey