CBC Radio 3 Artist - Junior Boys

Hamilton, ON

Genres: Space Pop

Label: Domino Recording Co.

Before there was Clap Your Tapes and Say Art Brut, there was JUNIOR BOYS: The proto-blog success story. Starting with a pair of mysterious twelves of smart, crisp electro-hooks, the releases were shrouded in abstract imagery and classic graphic design which harkened back to the heydays of Factory, Mute and some Bizarre. The music that poured forth was inpired by the past, present and future one and all. Last Exit, the album that followed, answered the promise, distilling the last twenty-five years of electronic pop music into one potent potable. What followed was worldwide acclaim and live performances, including a marathon tour of North America with Caribou and The Russian Futurists. Today, JUNIOR BOYS aren't so much a myth as a revelation. The Ontario-based duo have emerged with a pop statement that is easily one of the best albums of the year. So This is Goodbye is a work that exhibits a confident mix of focus, clarity and ambition. From the upbeat double A-Side single 'In the Morning'/'The Equalizer' (The former being a collaboration with tour mate, Andi Toma from Mouse on Mars) , to the somber triptych that closes the album which touches kindred spirits as Sylvain, Ferry and yes, Sinatra) as with their cover of the ol' blue-eyed classic 'When No One Cares'). JUNIOR BOYS manage to tease soul and longing out of their machines in a way that few have dared try.