Some bands call seven songs an EP, but hey, whatever floats their boat. This "mini-LP" begins benignly enough with "3 A.M.," a calming track which floats by on a tasty Rhodes lick and some dreamy, harmonized guitar feedback straight off Eno's Another Green World. And that's about it for the appeal of this record. It's on the next track, "Stray Dogs," that the duo of Fiia McGann and Harris Thurmond, formerly of such Seattle luminaries as Hammerbox and Miracle Baby, show off their true intentions. The track, like all that follow it, begins with an intensely generic hip-hop beat, which supports a bland, loungy melody and McGann's undistinguished crooning. Or Mr. Thurmond. It's one of the few elements here that actually varies.

The biggest problem, aside from the obvious, is that the group makes no attempt at populating the songs with anything that might go a distance toward disguising their threadbare melodies. "Stray Dogs" is composed solely of dry, clean guitars and bass, and that unchanging drum loop, the lone formula implemented on every track. Laid back, pseudo-funky rhythms, jazzy clean strumming, and multi-tracked vocals are main ingredients. Unfortunately, they don't appear to have any of the facility for manipulating sounds in the studio that this kind of music usually requires.

Once the initial melody fails to grab you, you'll be equally thrilled to discover that there's absolutely nothing else in store. Guest keyboardists and drummers, present throughout most of Mini LP, fail to add anything on note; there's simply nothing going on sonically in any of these inescapably dull songs. The already aped Eno-esque guitar sound is the most intriguing texture deployed, and it appears on exactly three songs, not counting "3 A.M. (Reprise)."

"Sentimental" comes the closest to delivering on the melodic front, but inexplicably, the production falls apart at the end as the song drags on minutes longer than necessary, the instruments dropping out one at a time. And it doesn't even sound intentional. It sounds like each player flubbed and then gave up. Given that the production is otherwise pristine and airless, this odd moment is all the more befuddling and distracting. In fact, it's just about the most interesting point. Sadly, it's just one moment out of 25, and the rest don't cut it. Shoulda stayed in Miracle Baby, guys!

-D. Erik Kempke