At least no one can accuse Hecuba of not striving for greatness. The debut album from this artsy Los Angeles duo certainly sounds important, but it doesn’t take long to realize that Paradise doesn’t pack a whole lot of punch. Constructed on a skeleton of sparse synth pop, the album is full of dramatic pauses and sonic white space, but even the inclusion of en español lyrics (“La Musica”), sleazy saxophone (“The Magic”), or a tweaked vocal choir (“Extra Connection”) fail to lend the music any real weight. The modern doo-wop of “Suffering” and the stop-and-start pop of “Tom & Jerry” are welcome respites from the pretentious preening, but when it comes to Paradise, there’s simply not much there.