of Montreal is not Canadian

If of Montreal were from Los Angeles, they'd either live in Silverlake or Venice Beach; their new CD Sunlandic Twins falls, in spirit, somewhere in between. It's part hipster part hippie; part electroclash part '60s pop. Lead man Kevin Barnes calls it "21st century A.D.D. electro cinematic avant-disco."

The CD is irrepressably upbeat, with melodic choruses, delicioulsy cheesy disco flourishes, a flash of mariachi here, strings there and hooks all around. "Forecast fascist future" sounds, at times, like it was ripped from the Hair soundtrack. But then the very next song, "So Begins Our Alabee," kicks off with a stuttering rhythm that's entirely modern. Dance-party tune "Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games" has a surprisingly catchy chorus; one listen and you'll be singing "Let's pretend we're in Antarctica" too. We did. We like the indie pop, we really do.

That's why you'll see us at The Echo Too (aka the Echo Plex — whatever it's called, downstairs at the Echo) tomorrow night. Because they're playing again, and we missed 'em last week.

And if you were wondering, of Montreal are from Athens, Georgia. You need nice warm weather to be this cheery.