Band: Coconut Records
Album: Davy
By: Jessica Lewis
Date: March 18, 2009

When listening to Jason Schwartzman’s latest record as Coconut Records, Davy, it’s hard to realize that he’s not just your best friend that emailed you a fun record he whipped up. It’s charming and modest, and yet trying to be its best (he’s really the little engine that could) at the same time.

Starting out with the track “Microphone” was definitely a great idea. It captures you into the record with Schwartzman repeating his chorus of “You are my voice / My microphone”. It’s an up-beat song of codependence. With a perfect blend of different guitar chord progressions and keyboards lightly touching the background, you’re already hooked into the next song.

“Drummer” is the most reflective song on the record. Immediately he sings “At 14 I lost my dad / It’s true / At 15 / I didn’t know what to do / At 16 / I learned to drive / At 17 / To stay alive / And I was a drummer in a band that you heard of / Isn’t that the way it goes? / At 18 / I think that’s when we met / At 19 / I wish I could forget / Well, At 20 / I looked away / To say the least I couldn’t stay.” Well, that’s a pretty intense timeline for a celebrity, eh? Whether you’re now feeling sympathetic to the actor (Marie Antoinette, The Darjeeling Limited, I Heart Huckabees) or reminiscing on when you were obsessed with The O.C.’s theme song “California” by Phantom Planet (he was the drummer in the band that you heard of), this song is definitely a reminder for you. It incorporates a lot of hand-clapping, so as if Schwartzman, your buddy, was if to say ‘hey, this might be a little melancholy, but I’m okay!’

“Any Fun” is just another best friend type song; he promises to not let you down. Oh Schwartzman, how could you let us down, especially when you’re only three songs into this record? Davy is definitely a growth from his last record, Nighttiming. While Nighttiming was brash, hopeful, and cute, Davy is an evolution of growth. Schwartzman has calmed down since, and this has allowed him to really reflect over his music. We’re seeing his more mature side, and, unsurprisingly, it’s just as interesting as his fun side.

Up next: “Saint Jerome / I don’t ever, ever want to be alone” on the track “Saint Jerome” – you’d think it would be a lowly lonely tune, but oh no. Schwartzman uses this track to include some of his quicker beats and recorder harpings.

I guess this is a good time to mention this album is only nine tracks long, with each track just under three minutes except for “I Am Young”. Schwartzman keeps this short and snappy, like a quick diary entry per song, reflecting on a different time in his life. This works well for his record, but by the end you’ll be wishing for more, so you’ll just turn around and put it right back on again.

“Courtyard” is the slow breather, but probably the saddest tune. “Oh it’s clear / Just look out a window,” he croons. “Only the window / I don’t know how long to stay here”. Obviously, you have some nice mental images for this song, and it’s great for a rainy day.

When Nighttiming was released in 2007, artzman enlisted the help of now indie-starlet and actress Zooey Deschanel and even fellow Marie Antoinette actress Kirsten Dunst. They provided the cooing girly voices in the background, but this sound is gone from Davy. Davy is purely Schwartzman’s project and time to show his fans what he’s really about.

“Wandering Around” paired with the next song “The Summer” is a perfect sunny day drive’s playlist. With plenty of cute guitar pings and pangs paired with key ker-plunks, you’re set.

“I Am Young” gets back into the sadness, but it’s just too beautiful to “put [him] down” as he reflects on in the track. But halfway through, he changes. “I don’t know you / You don’t know me / Let it go, let it go” he presses as a round with his pals, guitar and keys. Is he angry? Is he laughing about it? “I cannot see what you cannot show / And I cannot be where you will not go / Let it go, oh yeah!” Hm, he’s just showing another human side.

Ending with “Wires” sounds perfect for some sort of rock and roll movie, when the main character comes to some sort of conclusion. And that’s just it. Schwartzman has created this whirlwind of an essay into Davy, a tale of reflection and realization. What’s next?