Form One

After five years of writing and touring, North Bay’s oft-talked about Form One finally have a debut album. And yes, this is something to celebrate. They’ve shared the stage with many name acts (Peter Elkas, B.A. Johnston, the Postage Stamps) and it’s about time their jammy live performances got compressed and wrapped up in CD form. Although loosely labelled "rock,” Form One are undeniably jazzy and of course, dance-y. Much like Toronto’s Five Blank Pages, Form One indulge in whatever genre bending they deem interesting and make things work dynamically. This debut isn’t the sound of a band attempting to discover themselves, it’s the sound of a well-rounded group of amazing musicians who know what they’re doing and where they want to go. With such a poignant direction, they nail each song flawlessly. "Animals” is great live and is surprisingly just as exciting on record. "Cost/Benefit” toys with experimental bass elements and a cute vocal melody while staying true to their jazz background. And on "Precedence” we see the guitars let loose and shine. For a debut, this is most likely the best we’ll hear this year.