Rooney Has A Eureka Moment

There's a reason why Rooney have managed to hang around for as long as they have: their songs. Quite capable of writing songs that are so pop they fizz, Rooney have taken the indie rock credentials they earned ages ago and turned them into rock gold. Their latest album Eureka, despite looking like something your little brother would have made or drew, is a massively large pop rock record that clearly gives Weezer's Green Album a run for the money.

Eureka is the sound of a band at the top of their game and the sound of something so commercially viable that if it doesn't sell a bazillion copies I'll truly be amazed. How do they do it? Well that's a good question, but my guess is there is a bit of strategy involved in all of this. Step one involves Rooney packing Eureka with enough mid-paced and upbeat songs over the course of the album that the album never really loses pace. In step two, they manage to create lyrics and choruses that are so easy to remember and so clingy you'd swear they were little kids. Combined these two factors create a groundswell in each song that even when the band slow things down, the songs remain unbelievably difficult to forget. Guitars chime in and slide all over the places, keys show up at all the appropriate moments and songs are given a welcomed breath of texture, and Robert Schwartzman sells this record better than a used car salesman with a voice that throws out all these hooks like a world class angler.

Eureka is a huge step forward for this band. They've come a long, long way from their rather rocky debut. Rooney have left behind the west coast sound and created a slick record here that constantly informs you that resistance is futile. Like the Borg, Rooney are a powerful force to be reckoned with; especially on songs like the lead off single, "I Can't Get Enough," and jumpy spazzy pop of, "The Hunch." After listening to this a couple of times you can't help but agree with "I Can't Get Enough;" you'll have a hard time getting enough of this record so you'll want to listen to this record again and again. Who can blame you? Eureka is such a noble effort that it's worth multiple spins.