Caprice en Couleurs/Begone Dull Care

Hailing from Hamilton Ontario, Junior Boys have been slowly gaining momentum since their 2003 release of Last Exit. Considering the growing love for Canadian electro-pop (read: Crystal Castles, Caribou, and MSTRKRFT to name a few), they’ve found their sound at just the right time.

No doubt, people have heard the ubiquitous In the Morning from their second album So This Is Goodbye, as it has made appearances on So You Think You Can Dance and Picture This from Mack Dawg Productions. The sound meshed oddly with the overall tone of the album, but hinted at the maturation of their sound. The release of third full-length Begone Dull Care suggests that the boys are not content resting on their laurels: the sound of their new album takes the step that “In the Morning” hinted at three years prior. The result is raw, unadulterated, electro-pop fusion that stimulates every part of your body (source: my friend Reanne who texted me upon her first spin of the new disc). These rave reviews were echoed at the show I caught recently at the Starlite in Edmonton. Random repeat concert goers assured me that of all the shows they’ve seen, this most recent was the best. Their sound is more polished and put-together and their stage-presence has improved.

While I have no prior shows to compare to, I’d have to agree. The show featured a hybrid of live instruments and talented spinning that had the crowd writhing. Accompanied by a bass-line that made my throat tingle and accidental brushes against sweaty, entranced dancers on all sides, the Boys made for a powerfully brag-worthy show and I will assuredly be at their next one to do it all over again.

Most stand-out track on the album for me so far has been Bit and Pieces, maybe because it takes me back to my nerdy, 16-bit video game days... Either way, the sexy lyrics crooned by lead singer Jeremy Greenspan, combined with a swoon-worthy saxophone bridge and pulsing rhythms means this song certainly lives up to the high expectations I had post-text from Reanne. Plus recollections of Jeremy purring out this track sets me all a-twitter.

You should probably also check out Animator, simply because it is an epic piece of music. Like any good mod 70's disco, Animator encourages you to try on bad suits and dance even worse. And if you ask anyone who was at the show last week, I did that last part with finesse!

The Boys are on tour for the next couple of months in Canada, the US and Europe, so do what you can to catch a show. Also, wear something that you can dance in. You can pick up a copy of Begone Dull Care from their label, Domino, or your local HMV.