Coconut Records = Jason Schwartzman. How on earth did I completely miss this fact for the months I’ve been grooving to his song “West Coast”? Maybe I was blinded by the great melody, maybe I was too lazy to do my music homework, or most likely a fusion of the two. Regardless of the reason, I’m totally digging Coconut Records. So take out the Schwartzman factor (in case of bias) before you give Nighttiming a listen, because it stands on its own.
What surprised me the most was the danciness of this album. This is one of those classic albums you could play at any house-party and be covered. The Phantom Planet connection is easy to make especially on some of the more rocking numbers such as “Mindin My Own Business”, but I didn’t really mind reminiscing with him. Tastefully done. Another standout is “Summer Day” a pleasant melancholy song with a nice appearance of the now familiar voice of Zooey Deschanel from She & Him. Really, the whole album is full of standouts that could easily appeal to most people, so give it all a listen to find that special Coconut song that makes your ears jump.
I first was introduced to “West Coast” via Rob’s Party Mix from Cloverfield, and it has been stuck in my head and my mixes ever since. It ironically has the epic catchiness of Phantom Planet’s “California”. The chorus is what really gets you. Again, the emotion is totally there on this one. It starts off with a little piano and the beat follows quickly after. The nice part about this song is that you catch ever line and really feel the meaning at the same time. The music complements the lyrics creating this intensity without overdoing it. I don’t think I’ll be getting tired of this song anytime soon.
Sometimes all it takes is two. This energetic duo somehow found the perfect combination of beats, power, folk, and honey and called it The Dodos. Every song on their new album Visiter in infused with this fervency but overlaid with these soft crooner vocals. Needless to say, this band is going to be at the top of everyone’s music rotation by the end of the year, as it should be. And if The Dodos are coming your town, they are an absolute must-see.
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