Junior Boys: Begone Dull Care
Label: Domino
This Canadian duo’s ongoing fame and acclaim are due to the fact that, deep within their Internationalist techno-pop, you can still hear their early-period bedroom-beat sensibilities. Put Junior Boys on every big-deal DJ comp, fly them around the world, set them up with the highest-profile remixing gigs — doesn’t matter. For every sly mid-tempo hip-shaker on Begone Dull Care (like “Work,” “Hazel” and “Bits and Pieces”) there’s another that sounds tailored for your nights in, makin’ easy love or just chilling/blissing out. As usual, there’s sweet contrast throughout between the faintly cool synth and rhythm textures and the Boys’ soulful-Caucasian vocals. Their first full-length since 2006 can be summed up simply: Formula — ain’t broke; fixin’ — unnecessary. (M.L. Thrope)
