Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care

  by Lisa Torem

published: 7 / 5 / 2009

---

Review

Hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, Jeremy Greenspan, along with newly-wed Matthew Didemus, who presides in Berlin, Germany, release the 8 track CD, 'Begone Dull Care' – the Junior Boys third album after 'Last Exit' (2004) and 'So This is Goodbye'(2006). Track 1, 'Parallel Lines', a “post-industrial stomp” prepares the listener for the diverse electronica and rhythm and blues-based collection. 'Work,' which follows, features austere rhythm careening with full-bodied synth-exuberance. The minimal lyrics allow the mind to soar while the backbeat surfaces – making the dance floor the diva here. While, the Junior Boys have been compared to Scandinavia’s Erlend Oye’s band the Whitest Boy Alive, the range of material on 'Begone Dull Care' allows Greenspan’s vocals to luxuriate at moments. Furthermore, Greenspan’s pipes are less melancholic than those of his colleague. 'Bits and Pieces' engages us with the line, “Forget the painting on the walls,” an image that paves the way for the subtle, modulating hook which intersects breathless vocals and pays homage to sizzling R & B. 'Dull To Pause' revives the folk-era initially than breaks forth into a beautiful, arpeggiated pattern that underlies almost Lennon-like vocals, “with every man and child you look around once more, you look around so that your eyes will adjust to all the grain and dust, it’s just too dull to care.” 'Hazel', which is also being released as a single, balances electronica backings with tightly wrapped harmonies, while 'Sneak A Picture' is a cerebral invective that spirals into dreamy-pop. Referencing the Scottish-Canadian animator and electronic composer, Norman McLaren, who greatly influenced the making of this album, 'The Animator' surfaces with what might be the voice you’d hear if your synapses could engage in self-expression. The plea, “baby let it on, let it burn into the sky” swishes like egg-tempura on a primed canvass. The closer, 'What’s It For', is a reflective finale in what is a cohesive and measured album that stays true to it’s electronica roots, but doesn’t hesitate to toss an anchor into a quasi-distant harbour of blues-balladry persuasion.

Track Listing:-

1 Parallel Lines
2 Work
3 Bits And Pieces
4 Dull to Pause
5 Hazel
6 Sneak A Picture
7 The Animator
8 What It's For

Label Links:-

http://www.dominorecordco.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DominoRecordC
https://twitter.com/DominoRecordCo
https://www.youtube.com/user/DominoRec
https://plus.google.com/+DominoRecords