Cafe Aracir

Boldly going where Keanu Reeves and Johnny Depp -- to name but two of his Hollywood kindred spirits -- have gone before, Tinseltown up-and-comer Jason Schwartzman of Rushmore and Slackers earns his Renaissance man stripes by playing a regular rock drummer dude in Phantom Planet. This isn't a vanity project, since the band released its debut record several years before Schwartzmann hit the silver screen -- but that doesn't dispel the vaguely Hollywood aura around the band, with lots of soft focus, careful scripting, and an almost kitschy reverence for '70s power pop. When singer Alex Greenwald stretches a bit -- as on the {|Radiohead|}-esque "Turn Smile Shift Repeat" -- Phantom Planet can be quite compelling. More often, however, the band offers easily digested, easily forgotten pop trifles such as the single "California." There aren't many rough edges on The Guest: The band seems to prefer more burnished, airy surroundings (as evidenced by the softly strummed "One Ray of Sunlight" and the chiming, infectious "Hey Now Girl"). Producers Tchad Blake and Mitchell Froom (who've worked with similarly minded acts such as Crowded House and the Bangles) do a solid job of sculpting the band's sound -- emphasizing the charming jangle and keeping the action moving along at a good clip.