Forget Justin Timberlake – the Junior Boys are bringing sexy back.
The techno-pop duo has released an exceptional album with So This is Goodbye, which just might be one of the most provocative releases of the year.
The entire album, composed mainly of crisp but soft electronic beats and lustful late-night talk radio vocals, screams with sensuality from start to finish.
Bursting with what could be the great beginnings of an excellent trance album, So This is Goodbye takes on an innovative approach to the technological advances offered in the music world today, using impeccable mixing and taking full advantage of what computers and keyboards can do in the studio.
The Junior Boys have chosen to use smooth, velvety beats over the usually harsh, staccato beats that dominate the electronic pop scene. The majority of the tracks are delicate and unimposing, creating a sexy ambiance out of simple beats and soft vocals.
As well, the Junior Boys take several strong cues from house influence, which adds to the energy of the album and keeps it alive in its subtlety.
“Double Shadow” leads the album as a standout track, with heavy synths and erotic vocals in a stimulating beat.
“The Equalizer” comes in with a slow, electronica intro before picking it up with sharp pop melody and delicate vocals as Jeremy Greenspan croons in angst-laden disdain, “Springtime, you’re gonna wish that we were friends/And talk, you’ll never feel so sure again/So now, there’ll be no lessons, no more cures/’Til you get yours, baby, in the end…”
A departure from the majority of the album, “In the Morning” comes on strong with harsh, high-pitched disconnected beats and some very sexual panting from the electronic mix with a much more energetic spin.
A low point on the album is the bleak cover of Frank Sinatra’s “When No One Cares,” which is so depressing and gloomy it makes the rest of the album’s loneliness and longing seem like a weekend at Disney World.
While anyone with an iBook could probably produce the same quality and complexity of beats, there certainly hasn’t been anyone but the Junior Boys stepping up to do it.
If nothing more, So This is Goodbye will leave you drumming your fingers or tapping your toes to the irresistibly smooth flow of techno-pop goodness.