Reviews

Junior Boys

So This is Goodbye

Digg this review.
Add to del.ico.us.

Review Date: 2006-09-02

So, you dig the 80s? You feel nostalgic when you think of bands like Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears and Alphaville? You enjoy glitchy pop electronica like The Notwist, or even Hood? Then Junior Boys' new album, So This Is Goodbye, is going to be everything but bland to you.

After bringing us Last Exit in 2004, expectations were high about this new one. Although the lack of consistency made Last Exit kept it from being a classic, it revealed all the boys' natural endowment as well revealing their sound, which garnered much interest for the band and created a large amount of fans.

So how would a two-piece band (Jeremy Greenspan and Matthew Didemus) from Hamilton, Ontario revitalise with such big and renowned acts, you ask? I have no idea; all I know is that this band has got something that I haven't heard before. It's hard to really make the point on what makes Junior Boys interesting, but I guess you just know it when you find some people with great talent. What's also surprising is that this duo comes from Canada, because they absolutely don't sound like they live there.

Junior Boys' genre could be described as electronic pop, glitch pop -- or even synth pop, while we're at it. What makes them interesting is that they won't ever reveal you the dessert immediately at the start of their songs. Most of the time, you'll have to start on two minutes of minimalist electronic glitches accompanied by synth beats before entering a torrid climax that would make Justin Timberlake jealous.

For that reason, you won't like Junior Boys on first listen unless you are used to that kind of song structure. But soon enough, you'll fall in love and won't ever be able to get enough.

"Count Souvenirs" is obviously a reference to Depeche Mode, but in all honesty, it never misses the target it's meant to hit. I would even say, without any pretention, that Depeche Mode are being outlevelled on most of the songs on this album. Junior Boys really bring something more to 80s pop music. It's modern, it's terribly catchy, it's feely, it's diversified and most of all, it's never getting old.

The album in its entirety is a grower, and possibly one of the best growers I've heard in a long time. The replay value is amazing. There's no way I will talk about every single amazing song of this record, because they are not really describable; they just need to be listened to and felt. This record will make you move your head from side to side, make you feel like a child, and most of all, make you remember the reason why you like music so much, especially pop music. The 80s never sounded so great in your headphones.

Songs to hear: "Count Souvenirs," "In The Morning," "Like A Child," "FM"

Score: 8.9

- Alexandre Poulin