Deleted Scenes

File this Washington, DC indie rock band under "most likely to succeed.” Opening with drum work conspicuously cribbed from Sweet’s "Ballroom Blitz,” Deleted Scenes immediately worm their way into your ear. "Day Off Work” goes off in a completely different direction but remains compelling in its own right. "Trying To Remember A Dream” seems innocuous at first then sucker punches you with a couple of chord changes that are like screwdrivers turning in your heart. "Hyperbaric” had me floating away with disinterest and poised to hit the stop button until a bluesy trumpet solo yanked me back. And I’m glad it did because the playful aggression of "He Just Doesn’t Get It” sounds like Modest Mouse and the Shins getting drunk and jamming together. Despite its weaker moments, when looked at as a whole, this is an astonishingly assured debut.