Rooney - Hard Work and Fun

After a good six years away, Rooney are about to return with a new album. We took the opportunity for an email Q&A with frontman Robert Schwartzman, whose reflections reveal a world made up of hard work, but also passion and fun.

This new album was made almost entirely by you, but there are other musicians credited. Did they contribute ideas to the construction of the sound, or did they simply carry out your plans?

I usually work alone in my studio and more or less hide away, get into the flow, etc. In making "Washed Away" I recorded in different stages and collaborated with various musicians. Some songs were recorded live, while others were just bass and drums, with me playing bass alongside Joel on drums, and then I overdubbed by myself. So it was a mix, depending on the song. I had time to keep revisiting the sessions, going back to almost challenge the songs and the recordings, so I was able to gain some clarity by taking some time away from the songs and then coming back to them.

In the past, Rooney was a proper band, with a fixed lineup, whereas now it seems to be your solo project with guests. Does this difference change your approach to songwriting, the way you write songs?

The way I write songs is I sit down at the computer, or with a guitar, or at the piano, and I just start writing. I see where it goes. Or I start recording, lay down a beat and build a song on top of a track. I think anyone who plays with me brings their own style to the recording process, but I think the way I write songs has stayed in line with what I've always done. I'm not saying I don't try new things with the writing, but what I mean is that I mainly write alone, and the approach has been the same as on previous Rooney records.

As for the sound, the biggest difference compared to the past is the synths. Did they come about because of the influence of your other project Starsystem, or are there other reasons?

I love synths and I use them on all my albums, on some songs more than others. "Washed Away" has synths on several tracks, but I think it's more guitar-focused overall. That was the idea I pursued, to make an album more centered on guitars. It's a balance, and there's a choice involved in when to use synths and when not to. Some synth sounds feel right, others feel foreign to Rooney.

Listening to the album, I feel like the songs with the more complex, synth-driven sound are at the start, while after a while the immediacy and the guitars emerge. I think that's a good idea, because thanks to it, every song fits well with the others. Did you do that on purpose?

Yes, and it's great that you noticed! I worked for a while on the song sequencing, and it's something I get obsessive about on every record I make. I listen to the album from start to finish every time I make a change to the sequence, to check that there's a feeling, that momentum is building, and that it takes the listener on a musical journey. I split the album into two sides, A and B, and I open side A with an impactful song, close it with something that works well as a closer, and I do the same for side B.

Vocally, I notice a lot more harmonies and backing vocals. If you're okay with it, tell me whatever you'd like about that.

I love the sound of harmonies and layering my voice. It's simply a sound I've always loved, and when the harmonies are right and work well together, it can really elevate the music. Harmonies just give a nice feeling, stacking up a voice, and that warmth, that emotion breathing through the music. I grew up listening to bands that arrange music with lots of harmonies (Beatles, Beach Boys, doo wop groups, ELO, Queen), so I guess it's just something I'm used to listening to.

This is probably Rooney's most varied record, because of the things we've talked about in the previous questions.

I think variety is a great thing, and it can make a record interesting and diverse. The opposite can happen with albums or artists where everything sounds the same. I just want the listener to find something different in every song compared to all the others, for each one to have its own personality. It's great when people appreciate the different songs, the vibe that radiates all around, and that each song has its own personality.

I get the feeling the lyrics are more consistent than the music, if you compare all the albums together - would you agree?

I think so... you're very sharp! It seems like you pick up on things I'm not even aware of, or that I don't think about. But yes, now that you mention it, I think that's true. Maybe it's because I'm always the one writing them, or simply because there's a certain continuity in how I write them. But I'm not consciously trying to keep the same approach to lyrics from album to album.

You've said you didn't want just one song, or a handful of songs, to clearly stand out as better than the rest, and I think you've pulled that off. Did you work on a lot of songs and cut some, maybe even after they were already finished, or did you focus with particular care and attention on the songs that made it onto the record?

I'm pretty selective with the songs I put on an album. I don't like adding a song unless it brings something meaningful or exciting to the record. I went back several times and kept changing songs, taking some out and adding others, until the album came together as a whole. Once it's out, I can't go back and change it, so I get obsessive about it because I find it hard not to take it seriously. As for the songs specifically, I try to move forward with the ones that add something to the album, try to put it all together, and make sure every song gets the right attention and the right amount of time to become what it needs to be.

I think Rooney's records show your age - the self-titled 2003 debut is clearly the work of a man in his twenties, while here you can hear someone who's an adult. Would you agree?

I appreciate that, and I'm glad you can hear growth across all these albums. I was 17/18/19 when I wrote and recorded Rooney's debut, while I made "Washed Away" in my late twenties and early thirties, so I'm glad the music grows with me and vice versa. I don't really know how to answer that - I know some artists always want to keep a youthful sound, and might even try to write as if they were younger. I just write whatever I write in the moment.

I only saw you once, back in 2007, and it was a really great show. What can we expect from Rooney's live shows in 2016?

I'm really having a lot of fun playing this album live, as well as Rooney songs going back several years. The whole repertoire is still part of the show today, with songs like "I'm Shakin'", "Blueside", "When Did Your Heart Go Missing", etc. The most important thing about the shows is letting go and letting the moment take over - the energy coming from the crowd, from the power of the sound system, from being on stage - and letting the music do the talking. So I like to play all the songs, get the crowd involved, mix tracks from different albums, and create a welcoming atmosphere where everyone can have a good time. When I'm not playing live, I'm not doing everything I love. I hope you can come see us again soon, and thanks for the questions!

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