Junior Boys
So This is Goodbye
(Domino)
Although hailed by critics, Haligonian hipsters and electronic fans alike grossly ignored Junior Boys at their March 2005 Reflections show—which saw fewer than 30 people in attendance. A collective kick to the arse should occur after this album filters through Metro stereos. The second outing from the Hamilton-based duo lives up to the hype as one of the year’s best—a record that takes the synth-rock template built by Depeche Mode and New Order, adds the down-tempo groove of St. Germain and then completes the mix with enough originality to produce its own, innovative sound. This is a bold leap forward from the Boys’s first release, Last Exit. Songs are consistently better, more focused and injected with melodic beats and undeniable hooks that get better with each listen. Jeremy Greenspan’s breathy vocals are perfectly suited to the electro soundscapes, as on the album opening one-two punch of “Double Shadows” and “The Equalizer”; first single “In the Morning”; and “Strangelove” tribute “Counting Souvenirs.” For discerning audiophiles, So This is Goodbye does double duty as early-morning background music or stylish nightclub-noir. Giving it a listen, hipsters and electronic fans should discover what they missed a year and a half ago (and start making plans for the next time the Junior Boys swing by).
—Johnston Farrow
categories: Coast pick,Canadian artist
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.