It's got the temperature of the yacht rock paradise that everyone today longs to visit, but the details make it more than just a retro recreation. No one should be blamed for reaching for comparisons to Hall & Oates, but the admixture is a little more unexpected--rather than replicating an album from the 70s, they're formulating something that never quite happened. Imagine Stevie Wonder producing a Loggins & Messina album--or The Isleys working with Captain & Tennille. Don't dismiss the Captain! "Muskrat Love" was diaphanously funky. Abe and Jake would understand. You can tell the duo has session experience--they show the taste and restraint that comes from playing behind greats, from doing more with less, from crafting a statement out of something small. The songs are breezy and easy but each has its little ingenious touches. The way a bassline is configured against the beat in "Selfish Endeavor"; the way a chorus turns around and melts into the bridge on "It's Easy." They tuck the magic tricks and sonic surprises into the folds of pop songs, which reminds me a little of 10cc, but with way less layers in the cake. These four tracks are simple but deeply pocketed. They're uncluttered but with channels cut that invite all those bubble-bath analog keyboard sounds to flow through the songs in rivulets. This is either a demo that's been given the richness of an album, or an album that has the intimacy of a demo. -Sam Sweet Jake and Abe is Jake Sherman and Abe Rounds