The Paint Movement

It would be easy (and not all that inaccurate) to dub this Toronto, ON crew Broken Social Scene-lite. The band's everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach, with hushed boy-girl vocals, makes it difficult to distinguish the crew from their heavyweight Toronto colleagues. Of course, enlisting Dave Newfeld (best known for his work on the Scenesters' first two records) to produce doesn't exactly help squash the comparison. But that discounts the sophisticated level of songwriting on display. The Paint Movement's songs are lean jams held together by some soaring melodies and subtly brilliant saxophone work. But credit Newfeld with bringing these tracks to life; his clean production cuts through the busy noise of the band's six instrumentalists, bringing out the inherent hooks of each track. Though not the most original group going, this debut proves that the Paint Movement certainly have the potential to be among the most thrilling.