Invitation

Personnel: Ryan Lynch (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Hannah Hunt (vocals, keyboards); Garett Goddard (guitar); Rene Solomon (drums, congas, timbales).
Audio Mixer: Jack Shirley.
Recording information: East Palo Alto, CA (05/07/2011-05/22/2011).
Photographer: Hayden Shiebler.
Building on the playful pop of Young at Love and Life, Dominant Legs expand to a full band on their debut album, Invitation, adding bassist Andrew Connors, guitarist Garett Goddard, and drummer Rene Solomon to the fold. Fittingly, the group's sound is bigger and more focused, as well; Ryan Lynch and Hannah Hunt's hooks and melodies begged for a more fleshed-out treatment than they got on Dominant Legs' debut EP, and they get it with a bright, glossy production that emphasizes just how much they love `80s pop of all stripes. Lynch's distinctive warble and the punchy polyrhythms of "Where We Trip the Light" recall Talking Heads' poppiest moments; later on, "Lady Is Sleek and So Petite"'s breakdown channels Harold Faltermeyer's "Axel F." As befitting a band with a name as strangely sexy as Dominant Legs, Invitation trades in songs about love and attraction with more than a few quirks. "We're giving each other as much pleasure as we're taking away," Lynch sings on "Already Know That It's Nice," as Hunt's vocals shadow his, and sparkling synths turn the song into a synth pop confection. Indeed, the album's glistening sound sometimes threatens to overpower the actual songs, and Invitation's best tracks are the ones with the strongest songwriting. "Darling Girls" is unabashed, unapologetic pop straight out of an `80s teen movie soundtrack, while "Hoop of Love" has an oddly skipping chorus that's catchy but not obvious (later, "Loving Now" feels like this song's minor-key twin). Invitation documents Dominant Legs' sound as it jells into something they can call their own; even when it isn't strikingly original, it's always enjoyable. ~ Heather Phares