LimeWire Music Blog

To say that actor/musician Jason Schwartzman is multi-talented would be akin to saying Paris Hilton has done some partying — yes, it’s true, but it also somewhat undersells the point. At any rate, Davy, Schwartzman’s second release under the moniker Coconut Records, is a lovely little slice of summery, laid-back West Coast pop. At only ten tracks — none lasting more than 3:11 — the album is compact, but not hasty. It starts very promisingly: the opening cut (and lead single) “Microphone” charms its way into the listener’s memory so effortlessly, it should be double-checked for subliminal messages.

Of course, in any discussion of his artistic output, Schwartzman’s personal and professional history will inevitably come up. Born into the Coppola dynasty of American actors, producers, and filmmakers, Schwartzman formed the SoCal power-pop group Phantom Planet when only a teenager, before leaving the band in 2003 to focus full-time on his burgeoning career as an actor. After landing lead roles in several notable films (I Heart Huckabees, Marie Antoinette, The Darjeeling Limited – which he also co-wrote), Schwartzman moved his acting career to the backburner once again to focus on music, beginning to write and record under the name Coconut Records in 2007. So when he intones on “Drummer,” referring to his time in Phantom Planet: “I was a drummer / In a band that you’ve heard of / Isn’t that the way it goes?” one may be tempted to shout “No!” But really, it isn’t Schwartzman’s fault that he’s living everyone’s movie/rock star fantasy life. If he can avoid or ignore the snarky barbs of all the haters out there, Schwartzman’s Coconut Records should continue to prosper.