These three Oregonians (Curtis Knapp, piano; Adrian Orange, drums; Davis Lee Hooker, upright bass) make pretty insular jazz-pop on their first full length. The piano, sounding like it?s got some miles on it, usually sets the scene on most songs, but then, as on opener ?The News,? it slows down and hangs back, an audible pause for thought. The upright bass complements the piano in its meanderings, while the drums are the most ?rock? part of the package, lifting what might otherwise be a somnolent mood. ?Sailing Takes Me Away (To Where I?m Going)? (an original piece, not the dentist?s office staple) is an example of this; drums drive through the hanging chord tapestries, and nifty maracas come in at the midway point, smirking. ?Three White Men Rowing? is propulsive, too, until it?s not, jarringly dropping into a pensive Satie-style interlude. Other pieces verge on ambient music (?Sleeping Fox,? with its bass-and-room-noises arrangement), while ?A Very Beautiful Composition? jumps with a stilted Latin groove. The label?s website concedes that this stuff might be thought of as background music ? or ?filmic rhythmic furniture music? (an explicit Satie reference there) ? and there are moments in which one loses concentration. But concentration on media phenomena, what a now concept, what an easy thing to want to get away from. There?s invention and style aplenty here if you want to try. 7/10 -- Sal Addays (28 June, 2006)