ALBUM REVIEW: ROONEY
- Posted on September 10, 2007 2:44 PM
- 3 comments
Calling the World
I find it hilarious that I found a review of Rooney’s new album Calling The World on a parenting website. It must be such a slap in the face for these guys. The album was recommended as cute boy, pop rock with tame innuendo and little if any violence. They even used the word ‘wholesome’! I don’t know if I’d go that far but it is certainly harmless. Rooney, like other bands under their record label, Maroon 5 and Phantom Planet enjoy their safe position as a boy band hiding behind some guitars and a drum kit.
I’m trying to wean myself off that bad music critic habit of comparing the music under review to other artists and albums rather than employing terms of credible descriptive but Calling The World makes this near impossible. How am I going to tell you about these tracks without mentioning the obvious influences on this band? I’ll try.
If these guys sound familiar to you it may well be because of their cameo on The OC after which they enjoyed quite a career boost. Shamefully I admit I am one of those people who are more likely to seek out a track or an artist if I’ve heard their stuff on a show. In my defence, TV is a pretty influential medium all round you know.
Rooney are an LA band and they clearly enjoy their sunshine and days at the beach. Unfortunately, releasing this album in September has meant these radio-ready tunes missed out on making the soundtrack of the summer. The Rooney boys have been together since high school and lyrically they haven’t really left it behind. The lyricism displayed here moves easily between the syrupy sweetness of I Should Have Been After You, the straight- talking Are You Afraid? And the predictable Get Away. For something more sincere see When Did Your Heart Go Missing I’m sure there’s a lot of heartfelt angst here, but they put it to such a catchy melody, you could never tell; wait for the bit where he starts talking at the end- golden!. Gentle mocking aside, Help Me Find My Way is an earnest, string backed tune that stands out from the rest of the record. It explores the ramifications of death and loss.
Sadly, Rooney have drowned distinctive guitar riffs in mild, safe, repetitive lyrics with plenty of hooks see bonus track 14 Jump In My Bed. All in all it’s a good pop record, not the best as they fail to create a truly poignant chorus, the crux of any pop song.
If the artists they’ve toured with are anything to go by (The Strokes, Weezer, Kelly Clarkson) these guys are set for success.
- Naima Khan
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Rooney rooney Calling The World Album Review seatwave blogs
Comments (3)
Katie
Great review naima... after meeting Rooney I'm really keen to see them live. They seem to have a very strong following. it's worth checking out their official site... they have one hell of a backlog of video diaries!
Posted on September 11, 2007 1:51 AM
chase
awesome post (or review or interview, etc). i can't wait to see them when they hit LA in november. there's actually a cool interview with them in ragged that i just finished reading too. check it out for free at www.raggedmag.com. robert looks hot in the pics too...
Posted on September 14, 2007 8:17 PM
tjg
I adore Rooney. even though it took them so long to release their second album, it was worth the wait! i still remember when they were on that one episode of the OC. classic!
rooney's also a feature in the latest ragged. its pretty cool and hot photo spread!
www.raggedmag.com
Posted on September 15, 2007 12:12 AM
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