Phantom Planet

First, Phantom Planet was That Band With Rushmore's Jason Schwartzman on Drums. Then the quintet scored notoriety for proving a three-minute pop gem could be edited to thirty seconds for a television theme and lose exactly zero key elements. That's what happened when "California," the piano-laced opener from 2002's The Guest, became the theme song for Fox sensation The O.C. Now you can forget all that info until you need it to answer trivia questions. Phantom Planet is a new band. Schwartzman ditched during sessions for Phantom Planet (which arrived in January), and kids who pick it up because Seth Cohen digs the group won't find the sunny melodies they've been led to expect. Melodies remain intact, but now they're buried under trashy production. Someone doubtless took a lot of time to make the album sound like making it took no time at all. When "Big Brat" comes on the radio, it's like switching to a fuzzed-out station that'll barely come in. But the band is proof enough that getting dropped by a famous friend isn't the end of the world. It could be just the beginning.