Man, right now there is something smart and shiny and good in the water in Montreal. The Stars share a hometown with the Arcade Fire, the Dears, Broken Social Scene and the recently defunct Unicorns, among others. The whole scene is tweaking old recipes and creating something new and tasty. Maybe it's that Canada actually gives grants to talented musicians to explore whatever they want. On their third album, the Stars explore imperfect love and how it sounds on a bed of crisp green electropop.

Read the full Independent Study feature of the Stars at MSNBC as well as stream three tracks off of their latest release. Check back in the weeks ahead for a review of Set Yourself on Fire.