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May 18, 201170Cape Dory is a more than satisfactory introduction to the world of Tennis and their travels, and perhaps unintentionally, one of the more unique additions to the current penchant for all things lo-fi in a Spectoresque kind of way.
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May 18, 201160A little shade among the sugary rays might not go astray, but maybe that's just the goth in me talking.
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May 10, 201160Tennis may have sailed a great distance to bring about the inspiration for Cape Dory, but a similarly epic voyage of composition would have yielded far better results here. As it stands, it's remarkably unremarkable.
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Mar 17, 201178Engineer 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.
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Mar 14, 201172While tales of the life aquatic are at the heart of this record, there is no denying that they are kept afloat by the youthful earnesty and composure of Moore's vocals.
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Feb 15, 201180Still, beneath all of her oohs and la la, is a dark-blue and starry expedition, a true passion for two musicians that really just permeates straight through the glittering guitars and infectious, harmonized choruses.
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Feb 7, 201176There's a bright side to Tennis moving beyond the measures of this LP: while tackling newer songmatter, delving into their return to land, maybe their songwriting habits will similarly shift gears with a degree of scrutiny that steps up to the plate and complements everything they brought to Cape Dory.
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Jan 27, 201170The overall sound may be modest, but in context, will most likely relate with those fortunate enough to live an affluent, fanciful lifestyle.
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Jan 20, 201162So while the record is pretty and intermittently enjoyable, it feels one-note and ultimately flat.
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Jan 19, 201140That's what Cape Dory will be for many listeners--a toxic sugar rush full of empty calories.
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Jan 18, 201188It's this combination of lo-fi sounds and lyrical complexity that makes Cape Dory a great debut record.
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Jan 18, 201170Without doing anything revolutionary--and it doesn't--Cape Dory comes to mirror the leisurely pace of a breezy day at sea, remembered after the fact: the subtle variations, the comforting predictability, the passages of time by turns boring and serenely sweet.
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Jan 18, 201190This is a high-personality disc, one that avoids cliches and cheese while also being steeped in tradition and an immense dose of adorableness.
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Jan 18, 201180The story behind Tennis and Cape Dory are nice; the music is better.
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Jan 18, 201191Nearly everything is likeable and will surely sound even more so come summer, or any other time someone wants to remember what it's like to be young and in love.
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Jan 18, 201170Moore's voice isn't huge, but she uses it well, morphing o's into "oh-whoa-ohs" like a siren in a frilly Fifties swimsuit, while Riley's guitar lines sparkle like sun-kissed breakers.
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Jan 18, 201180The mid-tempo neo-doo-wop of "Pigeon" shows what Tennis is capable of with a clearer, well-defined sound, as its syncopated, almost orchestrated touches match and adorn the subtleties of Moore's voice better than anything else on Cape Dory.
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Jan 14, 201190Cape Dory is not the kind of album that heralds the emergence of some great new talent, necessarily. It just does what it set out to do, and it does so perfectly.
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Jan 14, 201175Don't expect anything in terms of experimentation--this makes stellar mixtape fodder for an indie-pop prom night also scored by Dum Dum Girls and the Morning Benders.
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Jan 14, 201180Cape Dory establishes an enviable fantasy: two lovers happily adrift. Where Best Coast is too cool for school, Tennis seem (almost) too good to be true.
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Jan 14, 201180Every detail of Ray's second full-length alongside Her Happy Hookers is imparted with vigor--be it her razor-edged howling, or the biting lyrics that comprise them.
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Jan 14, 201175While the album feels underwritten at times, Tennis' winsome harmonies and reverb-y strumming often recall the charms of early-'60s pop.
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Jun 21, 201160Charming but once-paced opener from Denver couple. [July 2011, p. 120]
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Mar 9, 201140It's relentlessly cloying pop music, and it would benefit immensely if the act would take a step outside their comfort zone into more nefarious territory. [Feb 2011, p.72]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 5 out of 6
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Mixed: 1 out of 6
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Negative: 0 out of 6
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10Such a great album! Tennis is my favorite spurt and this is my favorite album! Such beautiful music! One of my top 7 albums of two thousand eleven! :)