"I don't think it's possible for me to write in a major key," says Katie Stelmanis, co-founder and lead singer of Toronto trio Austra. "I don't know why. It doesn't seem to factor in my brain."

It's not like the longtime vocalist and producer makes Anton LaVey references or has an austere demeanor. Quite the opposite. But on Feel it Break, Stelmanis, drummer Maya Postepski and bassist Dorian Wolf have crafted a dark, danceable masterpiece suitable for both ritual incantations and clubs; an album hearkening back to the sleazier side of New Wave but still deeply rooted in Stelmanis's classical and operatic upbringing. less