Montreal's Think About Life were the third of six acts at CMJ's "M" for Montreal showcase at Manhattan's Arlene's Grocery Wednesday, but they could have carried the entire night on their own. The four-piece dance act arrived on stage after an increasingly vibrant and upbeat performance by Beast, led by Béatrice Bonifassi, the voice of 'The Triplets of Belleville,' who seemed to be revving up the crowd for the party that was to come.

The room packed in tight for Think About Life, who were evidently having their CMJ moment after a less well-attended early slot on Brooklyn Vegan's showcase at the Music Hall of Williamsburg the night before. Still, the set, comprised mostly of tracks from their second album, 'Family,' seemed to be falling on new ears.

The album was released in Canada in May but just came out in the States last week. Hype from Brooklyn Vegan and others helped secure the sardine-like conditions at Arlene's, but the audience was guided mostly by a spontaneous decision to dance -- and much encouragement from lead singer Martin Cesar and vocalist Caila Thompson-Hannant, who carried on a riveting dance routine of her own.

Cesar's green silk shirt was drenched after two songs. He bobbed around the small stage, stretched out his arms, serenaded individual audience members, sauntered into the crowd, playfully (and repeatedly) pushed away a photographer's lens, accepted a necklace gift from a front-row fan and crouched over the microphone to belt out the new album's more romantic songs like 'Havin' My Baby,' whose refrain is "Every step I take is a step away/from the burning house with my mistakes."

Fellow founding member Graham Van Pelt provided a catchy variety of samples, fast-paced beats and synth flourishes, as on 'Young Hearts,' but the music felt centered on Cesar's energy, which is as evident on the recording as it is on stage. The band's new material is more melodic and straightforwardly poppy than the song's 2006's self-titled debut, but it's just as complex and interesting. Three years is a long time for both for the indie dance scene as a whole and Think About Life as a band, and the band may have made a great record at just the right moment.