Tennis - Young & Old
<p>Sixties’ pop has been resurrected by cutesy indie bands for years. The decade is seen as a golden age for folk, as well as the time when rock started to get good.</p>
<p>Tennis decided to go back one more decade to draw inspiration from the pop stars of the ’50s, fusing it with modern, lo-fi indie rock.</p>
<p>The husband and wife duo released their debut last year, which was supposedly a romance about a couple, their boat and a long journey on the open sea. The tale is based strongly on singer and keyboard player Alaina Moore and guitarist Patrick Riley’s relationship, as they spent the seven months following their wedding sailing the East Coast and writing music together.</p>
<p>This time around, they stripped much of the reverb that drenched their debut, and crafted a half-hour of charming pop.</p>
<p>There’s something unmistakably nostalgic about the whole affair. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the record as the soundtrack of an Audrey Hepburn film, filled with scenes of ladies emerging from beachside changing tents in one-piece bathing suits, playfully splashing their boyfriends.</p>
<p>Cheesy? Yes, that’s the vibe Tennis achieved. Whether or not that was their aim, the result is fantastic.</p>
<p>“Young & Old” is like Best Coast minus drugs. It replaces the fuzz and blurriness with clarity and beauty that creates euphoria without all the haze. Moore’s breezy vocals are refreshingly unique and vintage, a style that is attempted by many but done well by few.</p>
<p>They decided to enlist the expertise of The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney in the studio to give their material focus. Much like The Black Keys’ material, Tennis’ latest gets its point across without relying on reverb and over-production. Carney brought the best elements of Tennis to the forefront, revealing lovely melodies, guitar-playing and singing that were perhaps hidden in their first record.</p>
<p>Opening track “It All Feels The Same” sets the tone for the rest of the record, which is great because the song is gorgeous. It starts with a surfy guitar riff and a metronomic hi-hat that are more pleasant than a cool breeze on a hot day. Moore’s vocals are an instant earworm, because of both the catchy melody and the airiness of her voice.</p>
<p>Her singing wouldn’t sound uncommon in the ’40s or ’50s, but today, it’s in wild contrast to contemporary standards. She rarely belts it out, but always sounds assured. It’s humble, but more in a cute way than a debilitating one. Her old-fashioned stylings work perfectly in this modern context.</p>
<p>While the album is an unmistakable tribute to the contemporaries of Etta James, there is something new about it, as though the style never existed and was just now imagined by Tennis. Going back and actually listening to music from the decade that inspired this record, there isn’t much of a difference aside from some keyboards and better production. This doesn’t make Tennis sound dated, but modernizes the classic material and paints a better picture of where today’s songs came from.</p>
<p>As “Young & Old” carries on, it begins to transcend time, because when something sounds this wonderful, the time of creation isn’t a huge deal. “Young & Old” is a perfect title because the album sounds like it could have been made any time in the past 60 years, either as a throwback or in line with the norms of the time.</p>
<p>That’s what good music does — it blurs boundaries, whether those borders are between decades, genres or anything else, all while being enjoyable.</p>
<p>Right after its release, Carney tweeted, “The new record by @TennisInc ‘young and old’ is out [Feb. 13] everywhere. I produced and I think it’s really good. Check it out if you wanna.”</p>
<p>It has Carney’s blessing, an endorsement this rising band is lucky to have. Carney liked them enough to go into the studio with them, so it has to be good enough to spend a few bucks on, right?</p>
<p>Absolutely.</p>
<p>Tennis didn’t abandon the ideals behind their first record; they just trimmed the fat and refined them. Now, instead of being another forgettable dazed-out California indie group, they’re making the most pleasant pop music of 2012 — pop à la Sinatra, not Gaga.</p>
<p>(originally published Feb 20, 2012 at: http://mainecampus.com/2012/02/20/cd-review-tennis-young-old/)</p>