Begone Dull Care

When does dance music technically become not dance music? That seems to be the question most often asked in conjunction with Junior Boys. All of the key elements are there: drum machines, synthesizers, and sequencers. And yet, none of their songs, aside from a handful, will lead you to shake your ass on the dance floor. Call it bedroom dance-pop, interior dance floor music, or whatever you will, it all tends to lean to more of an intellectual bent than a physical bent. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with it, you just have to come to the Junior Boys with a different set of expectations.

Formed by Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark back in the early 2000s, the Hamilton, Ontario duo created a sensation with their first release Last Exit. An expertly produced and arranged collection of slow-burning electronic songs, it was a perfect amalgamation of a variety of different styles, from synth pop, dubstep, micro-house, to even hip hop. The songs were lush and featured intricate drum programming utilizing very odd time signatures and percussive techniques. Dark left the band shortly after the release to pursue other interests and Greenspan was joined by engineer Matt Didemus for the second CD So This Is Goodbye. While this was not a drastic sound departure from Last Exit, So This Is Goodbye was a decidedly darker, icier release. Few of the songs reached above a whisper, and there was only one song, "In The Morning," that could actually be danced to.

Thus, it brings us to the third CD Begone Dull Care, that takes its title and inspiration from a collaboration between animator/filmmaker Norman McLaren and jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, that I have not seen, so I have no idea how this compares to the CD. After the first two CDs, it appears Junior Boys are somewhat in a rut. There is really nothing to distinguish it from the first two CDs; it has the same impeccable production, lush arrangements, and languid tone. When I first heard it, honestly, I couldn't tell one song from the other, which was tremendously disappointing. I set the CD aside and basically forgot about it. Later, I was sitting at work and I just wanted something innocuous to have on in the background and began to play it again. Strangely enough, I really started to listen to it and it held my attention more and more. Each of the songs is well over 5 minutes long and it takes awhile for the song to build and let the melodies and instrumentation come forth. It is a deceptively simple CD, because only after listening to the songs multiple times do you find all the little odd touches that show how meticulously put together everything is: from the odd pitch-shifted synth bell sound in the funky "Work," to the subtle saxophone at the end of "Bits and Pieces," to what even sounds like a banjo in "Dull to Pause."

I won't say that Begone Dull Care is my favorite Junior Boys CD, that designation will likely always be Last Exit, Begone Dull Care is a definite grower and multiple listens never fail to bring up something else I missed previously. It also shows Junior Boys willing to get a little geeky/funky on the song, and first single, "Hazel:"



Other highlights are the aforementioned "Bits and Pieces" which again shows the funkier side of Junior Boys, and has a glitch filled breakdown in the middle of the song:



On "Sneak a Picture," they even attempt, perhaps ironically, an homage to old school 80s style R&B jams. It is always hard to tell how firmly tongue in cheek Junior Boys can be at times. They always seem to be on the fence between jokingly making fun of a style of music and showing an appreciation for it. Junior Boys end the CD on a quieter note with "What It's For," which appears to return to the icier realms of So This Is Goodbye.

It will be difficult to determine where this release with lie within the Junior Boys canon. It has an air of being a stop-gap CD, one where they are treading a little water before charging off in a different direction. At least, I hope they will plan on progressing their sound more. So what we are left with is not necessarily a masterpiece, but still a finely produced/performed CD that is genuinely fascinating.