Tennis, “Cape Dory” (Fat Possum)
“Cape Dory,” the debut album from Denver indie duo , comes on the heels of six months of furious blog hype, high-profile touring and a heated local debate about a band no one had heard of early last summer.
Tastemakers such as Spin, Pitchfork and Paste are among its boosters, but the members of Denver’s music community are split.
Can you blame them? The seemingly too- good-to-be-true back story of married couple Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley invites skepticism (they were apparently inspired to write the album after an eight-month sailing trip on their boat, the Cape Dory) and more than a few snickers, given their rapid rise to fame. It could also be seen as painfully trendy and contrived, considering the success of other saccharine, surf-indebted indie acts like Best Coast and Wavves.
But the hype exists to the album’s detriment. A short, focused collection of melody- drenched tunes for holding hands and looking at the moon, “Cape Dory” is more like Denver’s indie-pop response to the Shangri-Las or Jackie DeShannon than a revelatory next step in the city’s musical evolution.
Moore coos over Riley’s crackling, reverb-laden guitar, while unofficial third member (and engineer) James Barone pins down the songcraft with humble, effective drumming. At best, it’s sweet, simple fun, the kind that invokes joy and wistfulness in equal measures (see “Marathon” and “Baltimore”).
Does Tennis deserve to be on the same imprint as such established, critically acclaimed acts as Andrew Bird, Band of Horses and the Walkmen? Maybe not, but much like Fat Possum labelmates Heartless Bastards, the band has a lot of room to grow, and with the right mix of elements, it could develop into a formidable presence on the national indie scene.
For now, we’ll just enjoy the voyage. –John Wenzel
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Cake, “Showroom of Compassion” (Upbeat)
It’s been seven years since we last heard new material from , the laconic alt-rockers who have been a modern-rock staple since the sardonic breakout hit “Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle” won us over in the mid-’90s.
In the last 15 years, Cake has been an example of painting inside the lines — creating music (and album covers) that are natural, if too-similar, extensions of what came before. And while “Showroom of Compassion” is packed with listenable songs, the record sounds like it could have been made in 1998, back when Cake told us that sheep go to heaven and goats go to hell.
Some old techniques and familiar instruments surface on “Mustache Man (Wasted),” but it works. “Long Time” is a natural for radio stations that haven’t given up on the band; it’s an upbeat, pop-rooted song that spotlights frontman John McCrea’s straightforward observations.
A dip into whimsical chamber pop, album closer “Italian Guy” is a winning observational tale and a perfect example of why we were drawn to Cake in the first place. McCrea is a cynical storyteller who isn’t afraid to call people out — for their misdeeds, hypocrisy and lies. And not only are his observations often humorous, they’re also set against chiming melodies and a unique collection of sounds and textures.
Sure, he hasn’t evolved much. But for some music fans, that’s perfectly OK. –Ricardo Baca
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John Wenzel is an executive editor of and an award-winning A&E reporter for The Denver Post. He is the author of (Speck Press/Fulcrum) and maintains a of completely random song titles and band names.
Ricardo Baca is the founder and co-editor of and an award-winning critic and journalist at The Denver Post.
