So This Is Goodbye
Even in the bright new world promised by the original synth-poppers, heartbreak was unavoidable: Think of the genre’s greatest hit, the Human League’s desperate “Don’t You Want Me.” Junior Boys, then, have history on their side with *So This is Goodbye*, a lovely album that\'s destined to be remembered as a perfectly calibrated breakup album. Melding the elegance of classic ’80s styles with that of earlier eras — and offering a cover of the Sinatra chestnut “When No One Cares” in the bargain — Jeremy Greenspan and Matt Didemus seethe and sigh in a refined manner. All the glum emotional notes are struck, from the accusatory “Equalizer” to the resigned title track. Even when the lyrics skirt direct references to a split, as on “First Time,” the mood still holds.
The second album by this Canadian electronic indie pop band finds vocalist Jeremy Greenspan without the aid of founding member and presumed rhythmic engine Johnny Dark but in greater command of his elegant melodies, exquisite pacing, and marvellously tensile voice.
Junior Boys created only a minor stir with their debut, Last Exit, perhaps because its muted sound and supple rhythms weren't as attention-grabbing as the more jagged, rowdy, guitar-based dance bands that dominated the scene two years ago. Nevertheless, the Canadian techno-pop duo hasn't revamped much on album number…
Although the majority of Canadians live in urban areas, mostly close to the American border, as heavily populated as their cities may seem, they remain...