Send "Rooney " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Absolutepunk |
 If the title of Rooney's third full-length album gives you the impression that the band has rediscovered their sound and changed their perspective... well, then prepare to be disappointed. Okay, allow me to reiterate: the band has matured since their 2003 debut, but have sort of leveled out and plateaued. It's that stage in their career where nothing on this album is going to blow you away, like you have never heard it before in some manner. It's just... nice. Pleasant. Non-threatening.In other words, Eukeka is harmless West Coast pop-rock soaked in sunshine with a heavy dose of 1960's California tranquility. While it's not all bad, it really doesn't hold up as well as it intends to. It won't stand the test of time, either due to unusually forgettable hooks or trying too hard to be "classic" in all sense of the word. The band's first album on their own independent label, California Dreamin' (natch), it should please anyone who might yearn to see Brian Wilson filling in for Rivers Cuomo as Weezer's vocalist someday. "Holdin' On" recalls Into the Great Wide Open-era Tom Petty and if "I Can't Get Enough" doesn't give you the urge to listen to Weezer, then you must be missing something (although it's not the best choice for a single). "The Hunch" is ridiculously intoxicating, like the perfect sip of golden beer on a breezy summer afternoon. "Stars and Stripes" is the record's most interesting offering, symbolic of the Berkeley-style peace anthems from the late-60's. Sure, the message comes off a bit trite in this day and age, but the experiment works nicely. The vintage recording style appears to be a large focal point in the self-production, which tends to be rather heavy-handed, however the record may certainly play well on a warm summer's evening. That is, if you're not looking for something too embarrassing or, say, challenging....full text |
| Allmusic |
| “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....full text |
| Rollingstone |
| On their self-released third album, Rooney mix West Coast catchiness with a sense of unrest. Over music that flits between Weezer and the Eagles, Robert Schwartzman sings about alienation ("Only Friend") and being a jobless schlub ("Don't Look at Me"). His best asset is his gift for breezy melodies, but Eureka's lyrics sag: The softly political "Stars and Stripes" ("There's nobody left to take the blame/We're all gonna have to take it together") sounds like a lite-rock parody of "Waiting on the World to Change."...full text |
Rooney lyrics
|
| |||||||
