A pop act equally obsessed with vintage synthesizers as modern electronic production tweaking, as infatuated with playful, near-calypso shuffle as Portishead tripped-out soundscapes might sound like an absurdist fantasy, but Swedes AK-Momo show the formula works surprisingly well on the duo’s debut.

Using a battery of first-generation analog synths (Optigan, Mellotron and Orchestron) in conjunction with producer Mattias Olsson’s (Nanook of the North) flair for studio trickery, Return to N.Y. shows that a little imagination can bridge the generation gap between collectors’ item instruments and modern pop. While the band’s songs lean toward the airy and elusive more than the deeply ambient – an atmosphere A.K. Von Maimborg’s breezy, little-girl vocals strengthen with every syllable – AK-Momo isn’t too saccharine and sweet.

Providing a lighter foil to Portishead and Goldfrapp’s ear for atmosphere, Return to N.Y. flutters between cutie-cutie and sophistication with ease. Likewise, no matter on which end of the spectrum it sits, it never forgets its counterpart. Thus, even the band’s most playful tune, “Your Mother’s Faith,” with its drunken calypso rhythms and Maimborg’s coo, isn’t too silly, and its most restrained, “Only the Stars,” an ethereal waltz, dodges all pretense.

While those tracks are nice, it’s what lies between the two extremes that’s most interesting. “Time for the Muse,” channels the best of Portishead’s slinky late-night vibe without falling into the clutches of trip-hop. “Human Clones,” dominated by sterile clicking and vintage synth melodies takes listeners on a trip through a glimmering ice-world. The Optigan-rattled strings of “Women to Control” fiddle about with an eerie shudder that adds an otherworldly sheen to its sound.

Focused almost entirely on melody, Return to N.Y.’s lack of distinct rhythm tracks give it a slippery, greased-up quality. It’s a great way to give the band’s sense ethereal tunes a workout, but ultimately makes AK-Momo sound too fragile and delicate to exist in this world.