artist Bossanova

Finally, it's safe to be Canadian. Cool, even. Heck, we've even heard rumours of bands pretending to be from the Great White North, shameless musicians who don toques and mac jackets in an attempt to infiltrate the indie-rock scene with some readymade credibility, the kind that comes from sharing a prime minister with bands like Black Mountain, Arcade Fire and the New Pornographers. Well, Bossanova isn't pretending-they really are from Canada. From Vancouver, to be exact, also the breeding ground for two of the above named bands. In fact, members of Black Mountain and the New Pornographers are responsible for the drums on the debut Bossanova disc, Hey Sugar. Over seven years in the making, Hey Sugar was worked on in several studios before main man/ perfectionist tinkerer Chris Starrow decided he could only get the results he wanted at home. Lest you think all the time spent getting things right have sapped any of the soul out of the record, a quick spin reveals the record to be a true pop delight, one that recalls '60s-era Pet Sounds, '70s-style soul and the indie altered states of Stereolab and Unrest. But don't take our word for it: check out disc centrepience "Rare Brazil," a pulsing odyssey of swirling disco tropicalia that trips out into the land of freeform keyboards, and you'll be overwhelmed--and not just by the Canadian-ness of it all.

Chris Storrow bandmember