Album Review: Tennis - Young & Old

Album Rating: B-

Husband and wife duo Tennis seems to have trouble giving their albums fitting release dates. For the second year in a row, the group has released a full length in the cold of winter. For being a band whose debut was based on experiences during a sailing expedition, winter just seems like the entirely wrong season to release a record. But while Cape Dory barely lasted in peoples' minds by the time the leaves appeared on the trees, the improvements in Young & Old should allow the record to finally last until beach towels go on to the sand and community pools are filled with families waiting to cool off from the blistering sun.

Young The Giant iTunes Single Of The Week

iTunes has finally hit on a gem for their free single of the week with Young The Giant. "My Body" is a song that is easy to get obsessed with, with the jumpy beat and one of the biggest choruses of 2010. The band's extremely catchy indie rock songs can definitely appeal to most people out there, and this song will easily be a alternative rock station hit. The band recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel, so they are easily on the way to stardom. The whole album is great, and worth buying. iTunes has also included a song by Tennis as their discovery download of the week, and that is worth downloading as well. Download both of these songs on iTunes. Check out Young The Giant on Myspace here.

Tennis - Cape Dory

I seem to be attracted to things having to do with tennis. It is both my favorite sport to play and a band I've been somewhat attracted to early this year. Tennis (the band) definitely takes the beachy pop sound that Best Coast hit on last summer and polished it up slightly, creating almost a female led Beach Boys sound. Tennis seems to enjoy the theme of the ocean and runs with it, water seeming to flow into many of the song titles including "Cape Dory", "Bimini Bay", "Seafarer", and "Waterbirds". Single "Take Me Somewhere" strays from the conventional verse-chorus-verse format, throwing in a time change for fun, all while lead singer Alaina Moore shows off her bubbly vocals. "Long Boat Pass" could almost substitute a ukulele for the guitar and be a hit on the Hawaiian Islands. "Baltimore" is one of the more upbeat tracks, able to be almost mistaken for a Best Coast track. The album gets monotonous at times, and I'm not sure how long it will stay on my playlists. But for now, in the cold of winter, we could all use a trip to the beach. You can listen to the band on Myspace here.