Rock band Rooney struggles with new album
By Katie Hasty
NEW YORK (Billboard) - The third time's a charm for Los Angeles rock act Rooney.
Since releasing its self-titled 2003 debut, which has sold 393,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the southern California quintet struggled to craft a record that pleased both its members and its Geffen Records label.
At the end of 2004, the first attempt at a follow-up fell flat because both camps felt the production was too raw and organic. Another attempt in the fall of 2005 was quashed, this time because the production was deemed too shiny. But after yet again re-writing and rerecording another record last autumn, frontman Robert Schwartzman feels Rooney has finally made the record it intended to create in the first place.
"It was like, too hot, too cold, just right," Schwartzman says in retrospect. "I think that people are going to be happy we went with it."
"It" refers to "Calling the World," due early this summer. Comprising mostly love songs, "Calling the World" piles '80s synths, buzzing prog-rock and Schwartzman's lovesick vocals atop upbeat, dance-rock tunes.
While he admits the band may have lost some of its young fans to the recent unpredictable stops and starts, Schwartzman is confident Rooney will earn devotees back with a series of Web journals, featuring snippets of songs and monologues taped from his own bedroom.
Beyond the recording difficulties, the band has also endured some behind-the-scenes drama. First came the shift from Geffen to nascent label Cherrytree Records -- both are part of Interscope Records -- before "Calling the World" was completed. The switch led to new management. Rooney was dropped from the Firm and picked up by Sound Management, which also handles Smashmouth.
The group has already been confirmed as the opening act for Fergie's forthcoming national tour, is holding down a residency at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles.
Reuters/Billboard
