Good-Time Groove Spun by Phantom Planet

Jason Schwartzman seated himself behind his sparkly red drums on the Roxy stage on Saturday to the screams of teenage girls. He held a stick high and, in the best Ringo Starr/Keith Moon tradition, launched into a punchy rock beat as the other four members of the band Phantom Planet walked out and strapped on their instruments.

It was pure pop for now people for the next hour. OK, so “now” sounded more like 1966 or 1979 than 2002, but it was done with exuberance and lack of calculation.

Arguably, Phantom Planet is Los Angeles’ version of the Strokes, both groups’ members coming from privilege and connection. (Schwartzman and lead singer Alex Greenwald are both actors, the former having starred in “Rushmore” and the new “Slackers,” the latter in Gap ads and last year’s “Donnie Darko.”)

But instead of borrowing from New Order and the Smiths, these five guys worship Elvis Costello and the Kinks, and instead of chips on their shoulders they have smiles on their faces. While that doesn’t necessarily make them better, it does make them more likable. And the seams in their rock concoctions don’t show as much as in the Strokes’.

Celebrating the release of their second album, “The Guest,” the band Saturday showcased an edgier garage-rock sound than on its recordings, with three chiming electric guitars compensating for the absence of keyboards and the other studio embellishments of producers Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake. Such songs as “California” and “Wishing Well” featured soaring melodies reminiscent of Crowded House, while “In Our Darkest Hour” sported Ray Davies-esque introspection.

With a lot of playful bumping and jousting on stage, these guys clearly love being in this band--and never so much, it seemed, as when Pete Thomas, of Costello’s Attractions, took over the drums to anchor an enthusiastic encore of Costello’s “Pump It Up.” With that done, perhaps Phantom Planet is ready to move beyond hero worship.