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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
So this is hello, October 26, 2006
The Junior Boys have made a solid second album in "So This is Goodbye"... which hopefully isn't a bad omen. Because it would be a shame to quit when this electro-indie band is still making good music -- smooth dance beats and satiny vocals, with a heavy dose of chillout and downtempo.
It opens with a string of hiccupy blips, and soon a breathless voice murmurs, "You're two faced.../all sideways.../you're dry-eyed.../and night fly..." A funky rhythm kicks in, keeping the spare beats from sounding too dull, but it's still only an introduction.
The good stuff is with "The Equalizer," a solid beat that regularly softens those cold beats with stretches of shimmering downtempo. Then they change the same formula for "First Time," which is a pretty trip-hop sound that gets sprinkled with sharp computerized beats. Not catchy, just so you know.
That mix of sharp beats and downtempo continues as the album trips on. The melodies are fragile, the beats are robust -- they glide through the vaguely ominous "In the Morning," cascade through the bittersweet sound of "So This is Goodbye," and jerk through the robotic "Caught in a Wave." The ending song, "FM," is a surprisingly soft finale, with a very soft melody and those computer beats.
Perhaps "So This is Goodbye" has only one real flaw: the songs tend to blur together over the listening period, since the beat/chillout ratio is the same for most of them. So it might take a few listens before this one really pops in your head.
But that ratio is very good -- the chillout electronica lulls you, and the cold robot beats snap you out of the trance. And while the first song strives to be catchy, the later ones abandon that in favor of experimental sound and chilly soundscapes, flavoured with the occasional burst of static.
Jeremy Greenspan's voice is the opposite of full-bodied. He sounds drained, worn-out, as if he's wandering around in his own wintry music. This impression certainly isn't hurt by lyrics like, "stay awhile/we don't have long/we could talk for hours/till my strength is gone/though I get so tired/I still get wired/my pulse is still... I'm like a child."
A delicious mishmash of hard electronica and soft downtempo, this chilly little album is a solid second album for the Junior Boys. Not to mention a bad way to go into winter.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
I heard it on a Snowboard Movie Trailer, September 15, 2008
Wow seeing that trailer(snowboard flick) and hearing Junior Boys just about made everybody wonder who are they and where can we get it!
Junior Boys, the whole CD is really nice, like the 80's sound, but differnet. It's got an uncanny way of weaving in throughts about love and friendship. I really like it!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Great sounds!, April 9, 2008
I find my self oscillating on my emotions of this album. I'm a HUGE synth fan and appreciate excellent programmers. I thought I didn't like the vocals, then I did, then didn't...but in the end...it fits the album. It's a very good album for someone with my tastes in analog and vintage sounds. I found myself, upon first and second listen, excited about what instrument/sound they would choose to layer. I would recommend this album to synthesis and electronic music appreciaters. If you're looking for heavier, harsher, brash style rock...you should look elsewhere.
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by Junior Boys 
