Tennis

About as cutesy as non-twee pop tandems get, Denver, CO duo Tennis feature husband and wife Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore spinning yarns about an idyllic seven-month sailing journey. Succeeding where Moby Dick failed, at least in one respect, their debut, Cape Dory, tells its seafaring tales with brevity, which proves wise given the slightness of the central conceit. Brimming with slow, wavy guitars ("Long Boat Pass"), scattered doo-wop snapping ("Marathon") and Moore's inspired cooing (fittingly, "Pigeon"), the record has a penchant for blending minimalist, dream and '60s girl-group pop. The mixture thrives on movement, scoring with driving percussion on "Baltimore" and "Seafarer." The highlight is "Marathon," which boasts a stickier-than-duct-tape vocal hook and a suddenly alive rhythm section. Conversely, throwaways like "Bimini Bay" and "South Carolina" drift lifelessly. Luckily, these moments are few; after all, the record is less than 30 minutes long.