Tennis

Cape Dory (Fat Possum)

Logging a seven-month sail from Florida up the Eastern seaboard, Cape Dory splashes down Denver marrieds Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley, who co-wrote the 10 all-too-brief log entries of the trio’s instant gratification. James Barone’s beat uptick on opener “Take Me Somewhere” and Moore’s best Tanya Donelly bounce the tune into girl-group grist, instrumentation soft so as not to spoil the sleepover. “Long Boat Pass” could swim the Go-Go’s Vacation, the GG-spot between needling and jangling giving much pleasure. Things simplify to see-through, the title cut timing out at an average LP length of just over two minutes in its puff of oh-oh-oh’s and sha-la-la’s, and yet well-strung minor chords, bashing swells riding liquid bass lines, and the haunted UK 1980s outro to “Cape Dory” volley Cape Dory into the top of 2011’s freshman class. “Marathon” even manages a subtle cop of Grease finale “We Go Together.” Engineer Barone could lose a layer or three of vocal gauze from the mix, and a certain She & Him retro preciousness will bother some tourists even though Tennis and Beach House go together like Three’s Company, but as a debut, Cape Dory goes swimmingly. (Wed., 12mid, Club de Ville)

***.5

This article appears in March 18 • 2011.

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San Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards’ Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews – first “Recommendeds,” now calendar picks – his writing’s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.