Rooney

Being multitalented kind of sucks. Think of all the actors-turned-musicians who get constantly slagged in the press as being "phony" and/or "disingenuous" and/or "Jared Leto" just because they were successful at something else before strapping on a guitar. Robert Schwartzman most likely faced similar hurdles when he launched pop-rock act Rooney at the turn of the century. Having already been seen in cinema both high class (The Virgin Suicides) and low rent (The Princess Diaries), Schwartzman found his band being written off at every turn. But a decade and three albums (including this year's solid effort, Eureka) later, the band is still kicking. As always, Rooney delivers a sunny brand of pop-rock guaranteed to make you smile, wiggle your toes in the sand — or maybe just ponder the current whereabouts of Keanu Reeves' Dogstar and Russell Crowe's 30 Odd Foot of Grunts.