Coconut Records – Nighttiming | Coffs Harbour Geek Radio

Review:

Coconut Records – Nighttiming.

Though the name is deceiving, Coconut Records is, first and fore mostly, not a record company. It is Jason Schwartzman’s side project. If you haven’t heard of Schwartzman before, now is the time. He is the band Phantom Planet’s (who sung the ‘California’ theme song for teenage soap ‘The OC’) drummer and collaborative song writer and actor of, his arguably most successful film, I Heart Hukabees. The debut from Coconut Records is named ‘Nighttiming’ and has been followed up with the sophomore release of ‘Navy’. Forget about any references to a shade of blue, ‘Nighttiming’ is really something wonderful. The 2006 cd was released in two halves. The first being the proper produced album and the next being a collection of demos. In total, 25 songs.

To kick things of ‘This Old Machine’ has a slow, melancholy feel. It drags its heels in muddy lyrics ‘all of my life/I have waited for you’. The piano clunks along with a soft melody to aid the crackling vocals. Then we are introduced to ‘West Coast’. Now this is a song, there is no doubt about it. The start of the track will be lodged in your brain for the rest of the day and there is a mood reminiscent of sunshine scattered through the first verse. ‘We both go together if one falls down/talk out loud like you’re still around’ is a gorgeous example of the lyrical nostalgia evident throughout the whole album. ‘West Coast’ is the stand out track, there is no argument. It will have you belting out ‘la, la, lahh’ in no time.

‘Back to you’ works in a similar way to ‘West Coast’ – big choruses, sing-along beat, but just doesn’t quite get there. The end of the song is brilliant but is shrouded by the beginning. You can tell that Schwartzman was so close to achieving the boisterous crowd chants, but comes up just short. This is not a bad song, still thoroughly enjoyable, but takes too long to come into its own and being tracklisted adjacent to ‘West Coast’ does it no favors.

‘Summer day’ is a sweet ditty featuring actress Kirsten Dunst. The vocals mix well and the light guitar adds to the sweepingly sleepy feel. ‘Nighttiming’ and ‘Minding My Own Business’ are great. They’ve got soul and need to be very, very loud. Nothing more to be said. ‘Slowly’ is a bit different. The acoustic track has vocals from half of She and Him, Zooey Deschanel. This song is the prettiest on the album. It is fragile but holds its own with dignity. Only complaint? Deschanel’s vocals are heavier than the delicate Dunst’s and don’t complement Schwartzman’s as well as ‘This Old Machine’ or ‘Summer Day’.

‘Mama’ and ‘The Thanks That I Get’ add diversity to the record. ‘Mama’ has an old, country diction to it. The vocals are raspy and the lyrics vague ‘This whole town and don’t I know it’. It is at this point doubt springs and suddenly you are not overtly convinced this is the best album ever made. ‘The Thanks That I Get’ fares better with the change of direction; the end of the song is a delight.

‘It’s Not You It’s Me’ is gloriously poppy and has you want to click every beat with your fingers. ‘Easy Girl’ tries for the same style of Elliot Smith but with less emotion. It’s up-beat and saccharine but you’re left with the feeling that this song is about, well, nothing in particular and subsequently, is nothing memorable. The closing song (depending on your version) ‘Ask Her To Dance’ finishes the album with sublime repetition ‘Am I making sense?’. The backing choir (featuring, more cohesively this time, Zooey Deschanel) provides a mysterious air but the song doesn’t really feel like an ending, more of an interlude to the next album.

All in all, ‘Nighttiming’ is a wonderful album. Though at times some tracks can feel like fillers, Jason Schwartzman has left us with something to love. This is indie-pop in the golden stages.

TRACK LISTING:

1. This Old Machine
2. West Coast
3. Back To You
4. Summer Day
5. Nighttiming
6. Minding My Own Business
7. Slowly
8. Mama
9. The Thanks I Get
10. It’s Not You It’s Me
11. Easy Girl
12. Ask Her To Dance

FOR FANS OF:

Elliot Smith with some additional instruments (‘Summer Day’ is possibly too close for comfort)
Quirkiness of Phantom Planet
Blind Melon
At times an older, wiser version Chris Carrabba (of Dashboard Confessional fame)

SCORING: