Young and Sexy: Panic When You Find It (Mint)

Young and Sexy could be considered a low-key version of fellow Canadians The New Pornographers: They employ similar boy-girl harmonies and possess a keen sense of slightly skewed pop, but executed in far mellower and ornamental fashion. Though further comparisons in terms of production values and sheer musicianship would have the band appearing somewhat amateurish, it would be unwise to dismiss them as such, since the qualities of their best songs tend to reveal themselves over time.

This is why numbers like “The Curious Organ” and the country-ish “Satellite” may resurface in your brain not long after you thought you’d forgot about them. A charming record, to say the least, there’s much to admire in the album’s subtle turns—the delicate, wobbly guitar lines of “All the Little Girls and Boys” come to mind. Other highlights include the gorgeous woo-hoo interplay of “Your Enemy’s Asleep” and the “Everybody Hurts”-like sentiments of “5/4.” (www.youngandsexy.org)

7 Blips out of 10 By Gary Knight