Why is everyone not going totally bonkers about the junior boys?

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"last exit" makes me cry, very nice

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 18 September 2003 07:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Flicking through the images for Last Exit has a similar effect for me.

Http://www.electrokin.com/images/krunched/motorwaymedium.jpg

― nick.K (nick.K), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Http://www.electrokin.com/images/krunched/head0001.jpg

― nick.K (nick.K), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Http://www.electrokin.com/images/krunched/lights565.jpg

― nick.K (nick.K), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Nick I'm sorry yr email about them has been languishing in the FT 'must reply to' pile for ages now. It's my loss judging by this thread :(

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:56 (twenty-two years ago)

When is this released in the UK?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 18 September 2003 11:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, you can all have your own copy of Birthday in a few days, it's on the next Jockey Slut Cover CD. (matt chk yr email)

― nick.K (nick.K), Thursday, 18 September 2003 12:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Http://www.electrokin.com/images/krunched/skydark.jpg

― nick.K (nick.K), Friday, 19 September 2003 12:26 (twenty-two years ago)

A thrill to read the first print review, it ends with the line -And the newsgroups shall buzz. I'm excited cause it mentions the net, which is where the JBeez are from, but it still seems strange to read about them off-the-screen. And btw, there's been a v.positive response from France...

― nick.K (nick.K), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 17:53 (twenty-two years ago)

two weeks pass...

Just recieved first vinyl and it's just gone on sale on-line, you can order from Boomkat. It'll be in the post first thing, but you'll have to wait till the 20th before it hits the shops.

― nick.K (nick.K), Saturday, 11 October 2003 08:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Just recieved the Junior Boys - Birthday / Last Exit EP in the post this morning. First time I heard it I wasn't quite sure, then it all fell into place. It certainly lives up to the write up on Boomkat -
Cementing this diversity with another spot-on bit of selection, the EP ends with an intricate, painfully structured remix from Fennesz - building the track up from a mess of frozen beats and vocals into a re-configured wall of warm guitars and effervescent distant vocals that conjure up the thought of the Cocteau Twins produced by Kevin Shields at his peak. Really, quite an unbelievable record - something really special is happening here. Unmissable.

― kattie, Tuesday, 14 October 2003 08:17 (twenty-two years ago)

teriffic - not keen on the fennesz mix myself but the origional of Last Exit is one of the tracks of the year for sure.

― jed (jed_e_3), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 09:32 (twenty-two years ago)

That's a very good question "Why is everyone not going totally bonkers about the junior boys?" I can't think of a band more NOW. I still don't know who this Fennesz guy is?

― kattie, Tuesday, 14 October 2003 14:57 (twenty-two years ago)

the thread question is kinda daft - i feel like its only directed towards the blogoshphere and other music writers - they were surely the only people to get promo copies early enough to actually hear the records at the time the question was posted and as far as i can tell they WERE all actaually going nuts about the junior boys.

― jed (jed_e_3), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 15:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Promos went out to all the UK press in mid/late august for all the magazines: freelancers, reviews editors and editors. If it's not something they already know about or from an acknowledged PR company it often doesn't even get listened to - it's understandable, there's alot of music out there.

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 19:31 (twenty-two years ago)

seriously, they just get better by the day.

― gabbo giftington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 20:28 (twenty-two years ago)

This is great. Crap, I need slsk.

― adaml (adaml), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

3rd best band today after Nasty and Roll Deep! :-)

― Keith McD (Keith McD), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 01:03 (twenty-two years ago)

i heard some of this on mary anne hobbs! need i say more!

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 08:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Can't complain because I never sent her a copy, but did you hear what she said after she'd played it, about me being in league with the devil! Very strange

― nick.K (nick.K), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 09:13 (twenty-two years ago)

What???

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 10:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Yup..... FACT! One hour fourty minutes into the Breezeblock 30th Sept 2004.
[track fades]'that's the Junior Boys coming out on KIN which is run by a guy called nick who is obviously in league with the devil!?!?!'

― nick.K (nick.K), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 10:09 (twenty-two years ago)

i know nothing about mary anne hobbs, but maybe she meant you must be in league with the devil to get such great stuff on yr fledgling label.

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 10:53 (twenty-two years ago)

oh yeeeeah, i thought she was referring to chris morris

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 10:58 (twenty-two years ago)

HOBBS LANE!!

(ph34r)

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 11:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe it was a tenuous 'old nick' joke. But more likely the 'devil has all the best tunes' thing - she is a bit of an old rock chick, after all.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 18:23 (twenty-two years ago)

nik is the devil...trust me

― greensj, Friday, 17 October 2003 22:50 (twenty-two years ago)

KIN went LIVE at 10:47 GMT on the 23 oct 2003.

― nick.K (nick.K), Thursday, 23 October 2003 09:06 (twenty-two years ago)

wow - looks really different.

― kattie, Thursday, 23 October 2003 13:04 (twenty-two years ago)

the thread question is kinda daft - i feel like its only directed towards the blogoshphere and other music writers

it was.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Thursday, 23 October 2003 13:07 (twenty-two years ago)

directed at music writers etc, there's quite a few of us on this board, incidentally.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Thursday, 23 October 2003 13:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry Dave, I'm not sure it was a particularly daft question. An awful lot of journalists/editors had recieved and heard the EP before you was asked it. Many of them got back saying 'no chance, mate' only to find their staff writers and freelancers raving about it a few weeks later. So... why wasn't everyone going totally bonkers about the junior boys?.... because they hadn't heard they should be. Some of their strongest supporters had to be coerced into even giving it a listen so I'm not in the least surprised.

― nick.K (nick.K), Thursday, 23 October 2003 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

what's to apologise for? come over to the broken beat thread - i'm getting a really hard time there!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Thursday, 23 October 2003 14:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Just a sec.
greensj.... you're not supposed to be reading this.

― nick.K (nick.K), Thursday, 23 October 2003 14:14 (twenty-two years ago)

who takes all those photos? KIN, the Junior Boys?

― kattie, Thursday, 23 October 2003 15:13 (twenty-two years ago)

they are nick k's photos (or at least, many of them are), i particularly like the ones of m25 and hangar lane, i hadnt seen those before.

i have yet to hear the junior boys, this will change very shortly

― charltonlido (gareth), Thursday, 23 October 2003 17:30 (twenty-two years ago)

An interview where the Junior Boys answer THAT question -

Finally, perhaps this question says more about me than you, but do you think a quasi-paedophilic band name helps or hinders you?

"Perhaps indeed. Needless to say appealing to a child-molesting demographic was not closely considered."

― nick.K (nick.K), Monday, 27 October 2003 09:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks Charlton, did you get to hear them yet? Am I alone in loving this EP? everyone else was raving about it last month. It's new to me and right now I want everyone to know.

― kattie, Monday, 27 October 2003 16:50 (twenty-two years ago)

i love it immensely too. Last Exit = one of the year's best tracks.

― jed (jed_e_3), Monday, 27 October 2003 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I know, the EP's called Birthday/Last Exit but the UK press reviews rarely mention Last Exit, except JS which said it 'veered into industrial territory'?!?!?!

― nick.K (nick.K), Monday, 27 October 2003 18:05 (twenty-two years ago)

even though he is probably (could only be) referring to the fennez mix i cant begin to describe the extent to which that makes no sense.

― jed (jed_e_3), Monday, 27 October 2003 18:37 (twenty-two years ago)

finally got my hands on the vinyl after listening to this on MP3's - my god, what a difference - Last exit is so beautiful it makes me want to cry with joy. Song of the year for me.

― jed (jed_e_3), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 14:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Nick, is KIN related to the Irish electronic label of the same name at all? They might give you some grief if not...

― Conor (Conor), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

nick i love this ep more and more with every passing week

― mark p (Mark P), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

ps. the devil is obviously fennesz

― mark p (Mark P), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

is fennesz the devil then?

― kattie, Thursday, 30 October 2003 16:12 (twenty-two years ago)

the thing i don't like about the fennesz remix is that it fills up the empitness of the track which is the thing i like most about it.

― jed (jed_e_3), Thursday, 30 October 2003 17:15 (twenty-two years ago)

also the origional is perfect so a remix is unnecesary, i think.

― jed (jed_e_3), Thursday, 30 October 2003 17:17 (twenty-two years ago)

as is so often the case... (re: remixes)

Nick, I have the vinyl now (from Juno) and loving it
"Last Exit" and Coloma's "Illegible Love" make me long for early evening and end-of-night DJing when it will be perfect to play these kinds of tunes.

― Paul (scifisoul), Thursday, 30 October 2003 17:48 (twenty-two years ago)

coloma's "illegible love" more info please paul - i need to hear that just cos you mentioned them together.

― jed (jed_e_3), Thursday, 30 October 2003 17:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Skipping 581 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

my favorite Junior Boys bit is the ending of "FM" where the drums get stripped away and it's just this little synth/vocal thing. so I'm really liking this so far

― frogbs, Wednesday, 2 November 2022 01:49 (three years ago)

digging the new one a lot. i've been going back through the catalog and "begone dull care" feels slept on to me.

speaking of endings, I never appreciated how glorious the last 2 minutes of "Like a Child" were.

― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Wednesday, 2 November 2022 01:57 (three years ago)

before we’ve completely moved past it:

lol NA

― mh, Wednesday, 2 November 2022 02:01 (three years ago)

this is kinda like if Air really leaned into their Kraftwerk influences. or something. man that bit midway through the title track hits so hard given how quiet everything is. really nice and yeah it might be their best album but it feels weird to say that since it almost feels like this is a JB side project (but like, in a Dukes of Stratosfear type way)

― frogbs, Wednesday, 2 November 2022 02:18 (three years ago)

digging the new one a lot. i've been going back through the catalog and "begone dull care" feels slept on to me.

― Western® with Bacon Flavor

Yeah, I went back to this one last week and enjoyed it a lot. It's not in the same league as the first two which are basically perfect, but it's a beautiful album.

― kitchen person, Wednesday, 2 November 2022 03:01 (three years ago)

Begone Dull Care is the least-good album and is still great. What a band.

― Tim F, Wednesday, 2 November 2022 04:42 (three years ago)

i listened to begone dull care on repeat during a particularly vulnerable month of life so every song on on it is like a great cosmic unfolding to me

the least good junior boys album is so this is goodbye, controversial but true

― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 November 2022 21:17 (three years ago)

I have a friend who played the title track repeatedly in the car in 2006, to my dismay.

― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 3 November 2022 21:26 (three years ago)

i'm aware this is kinda kneejerk but tbh this is beautifully produced and all, impressive synth work, but i just. cannot. get past the thin, reedy singing. nails on chalkboard for me. also kinda self serious. jessy lanza has a similar sound but is fun. not for me but i get the appeal.

― ꙮ (map), Thursday, 3 November 2022 21:32 (three years ago)

similar sound partially due to Jeremy Greenspan being co-producer!

― mh, Thursday, 3 November 2022 22:32 (three years ago)

the least good junior boys album is so this is goodbye, controversial but true

― flamenco drop (BradNelson)

Woah, that's my favourite. The Equalizer, First Time and especially FM are some of their most beautiful melodies. It's the album that made me fall for them after struggling with Last Exit.

Big Black Coat is their only album that doesn't feel essential. Apart from the title track, the second half is kind of bland. Songs like Baby Don't Hurt Me and Love Is A Fire sound weirdly unfinished.

― kitchen person, Friday, 4 November 2022 01:07 (three years ago)

IMO, It's All True = Last Exit > So This Is Goodbye > Waiting Game (though too early to tell) = Big Black Coat > Begone Dull Care

― Tim F, Friday, 4 November 2022 01:38 (three years ago)

After listening to this a few dozen times I'm pretty sure it's my personal favorite in the catalog (even if it's not "the best").

It really does work best as a focused listen with no distractions or other stimulation (although something to fuck with your perception before hand doesn't hurt!). Extremely meditative, ruminative and calming.

I think it was Matt DC who once said something around the time of So This is Goodbye that always stuck with me. Paraphrasing here but it was about how you could follow each element as an ever-modulating thread and how no single note was the same. This has that on a whole new level with the 'peripheral', barely perceptible sounds your ears have to "reach" for. The result for me is after so many listens I still find myself able to hone in something I feel like I've never noticed before on every song. Spellbinding stuff!

― anza808, Saturday, 12 November 2022 23:45 (three years ago)

Great post. I'm impatiently awaiting delivery of the LP release, which has predictably been pushed back a few weeks I guess. Saying I love this one as much as Last Exit feels like a kind of blasphemy, and I'm not ready to go there quite yet, but it's definitely close.

― Paul Ponzi, Sunday, 13 November 2022 01:23 (three years ago)

Just took a cold, cloudy morning walk with this, very nice.

I'll pick it up on CD if I see it. An imperfect vinyl pressing of such a quiet record would be annoying.

― maf you one two (maffew12), Sunday, 13 November 2022 14:21 (three years ago)

three months pass...

listening to Last Exit for the first time in like a decade, god damn this sounds like it was made TODAY

― frogbs, Wednesday, 8 March 2023 03:14 (three years ago)

absolutely

― hootenanny-soundtracking clusterfucks about milking cows (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 8 March 2023 04:09 (three years ago)

one year passes...

Happy Birthday!

The first Junior Boys album “Last Exit” is celebrating its 20th birthday today!! I’m so thankful to have had a life in music since then, and am genuinely touched by those of you who still enjoy it all these years later.🖖 pic.twitter.com/LfU2X9Fsws
— Junior Boys (@Juniorboys) June 7, 2024

― groovypanda, Friday, 7 June 2024 15:03 (two years ago)

Man, flashbacks.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 June 2024 15:13 (two years ago)

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