SLAVE to the SQUAREwave

I usually don't connect Canada with any sort of vibrant dance music scene, but that was before I stumbled upon SLAVE to the SQUAREwave (MySpace), a quartet that clearly has an affinity for a wide array of musical visionaries from DEVO to George Clinton to David Bowie.

The group has received some chart action up North, and it's merited, to say the least. They produce stuff that's absolutely ready-for-radio -- catchy hooks, sultry funk bass lines, a solid vocalist (who can dish out the falsetto when necessary), and memorable lyrics -- and easily a guilty pleasure for those of us maybe a little too bitter and jaded to listen to the radio.

Making several "Best Band" lists and a pile of laudable reviews ("Better than the Scissor Sisters," for example), maybe you should seriously consider buying their album, Big Change (just $13 CAD -- maybe you should wait for the currency's plummet, though). Check out a couple tracks below, anyway ...

SLAVE to the SQUAREwave - Pumpin' Up the P House

SLAVE to the SQUAREwave - Big Change