Junior Boys
Encyclopedia
History
Junior Boys formed in 1999 in HamiltonHamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
as a duo of Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark. Years of collaboration followed and a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
was produced, but after many rejections and near-misses, they were resigned to being bedroom beat constructors. Soon after, Johnny Dark left the band to pursue other interests. Eventually, KIN Records heard their demo at the end of 2002 and commissioned more work from remaining member Greenspan. Hooking up with his engineer, Matt Didemus, he began again, writing more material and pulling an album together.
The first release Birthday/Last Exit came in October 2003 — a four-track EP with a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
by Fennesz which brought them near-unanimous acclaim . The High Come Down EP followed in February 2004 with a Manitoba (now Caribou
Caribou (musician)
Daniel Victor Snaith is a composer, musician and recording artist under stage names Caribou, Manitoba and Daphni. Under the supervision of Kevin Buzzard, he obtained a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College London.- Career:...
) remix and word began to spread. Their debut album, Last Exit
Last Exit (Junior Boys album)
The highly critically acclaimed Junior Boys' first album, Last Exit, was released in 2004 on Domino Records in the U.S. and on KIN Records in the UK.The U.S...
(recorded at the end of 2003 by Greenspan and Didemus in Hamilton), was released September 21, 2004 on KIN Records. A reissue on Domino featured the Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
mix of Birthday, a Fennesz mix of title track, and a new track.
Junior Boys' most popular track, Birthday, was featured in Sander Kleinenberg's high acclaimed mix CD This Is Everybody Too.
The duo has since embarked on a number of tours with Caribou.
In 2006 Junior Boys have reappeared with new releases. A remix of "The Loving Sounds of Static" by Mobius Band was released on the Ghostly International
Ghostly International
Ghostly International is an American independent record label. Chief artists include Matthew Dear, Dabrye , Mobius Band, and Skeletons & The Girl-Faced Boys, all of which are innovative contributors to the world of music....
Idol Tryouts 2
Idol Tryouts 2
Idol Tryouts 2 is a various artists compilation album released by Ann Arbor, Michigan-based record label Ghostly International. It is the label's third compilation overall and the second in their Idol Tryouts series. Idol Tryouts 2 contains tracks from artists on the label and spans the musical...
compilation on March 7, 2006. "Max", a new original song, was released on the Paper Bag Records
Paper Bag Records
Paper Bag Records is a Canadian independent record label and artist-management company, founded in 2002 and based in Toronto, Ontario.-History:...
compilation See You on the Moon!
See You on the Moon!
See You on the Moon!: Songs for Kids of All Ages is a compilation album, released in 2006 on Paper Bag Records. The album features a number of indie rock artists, mostly but not exclusively from Canada, performing songs written in the style of children's songs.Most tracks are original songs written...
on March 21, 2006. Their second full-length album, So This Is Goodbye
So This Is Goodbye
-Track listing:All songs writtem by Junior Boys except where noted#"Double Shadow" – 4:22#"The Equalizer" – 4:57#"First Time" – 5:26#"Count Souvenirs" – 4:45...
, was released in August 2006 on Domino Records.
2007 saw the Junior Boys embarking on a North American tour, and then headed to Europe for numerous festivals, continuing into the summer. The remix EP The Dead Horse EP
The Dead Horse EP
Junior Boys' The Dead Horse EP, is a remix EP of tracks from their 2006 album So This Is Goodbye. It was on released on April 10, 2007. It includes remixes by Hot Chip & Carl Craig.-Track listing:...
was released in April containing remixes of tracks from So This Is Goodbye
So This Is Goodbye
-Track listing:All songs writtem by Junior Boys except where noted#"Double Shadow" – 4:22#"The Equalizer" – 4:57#"First Time" – 5:26#"Count Souvenirs" – 4:45...
. An iTunes exclusive live EP was also released, reminiscent of a John Peel recording, with four live tracks.
Almost a year after its initial release So This Is Goodbye
So This Is Goodbye
-Track listing:All songs writtem by Junior Boys except where noted#"Double Shadow" – 4:22#"The Equalizer" – 4:57#"First Time" – 5:26#"Count Souvenirs" – 4:45...
was re-released as a bonus edition including the original album, and remixes from the singles and the live tracks from the iTunes session.
On July 10, 2007, Junior Boys second album was revealed as being on the shortlist for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize
Polaris Music Prize
The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label...
. They did not ultimately win the prize.
In April 2008 a single on the German Get Physical label was released titled "No Kinda Man", with mixes by Jona
Jona
Jona is a former municipality in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.- Geography :Jona is located at the eastern shore of Lake Zürich...
and Chloé
Chloé
Chloé is a French fashion house founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion. Its headquarters is in Paris.-History:Gaby Aghion was born in Alexandria, Egypt in the year 1921...
. The original mix had just been featured on the same label's "Body Language Six" compilation released in March. Whilst the vinyl version was compiled by the band, the CD version was also mixed by the duo.
In September 2008, Morgan Geist's new album "Double Night Time" was released with five songs featuring Jeremy Greenspan.
On January 16, 2009, Junior Boys announced in an official press release that their third full length album would be titled Begone Dull Care
Begone Dull Care (album)
Begone Dull Care is the third studio album by Canadian synthpop duo Junior Boys, released in 2009. The album was released on March 24 in Canada and April 7 in the United States....
, and released on March 24, 2009 in Canada, April 7 in the United States and May 11 in Germany. The title and content of the new album was stated to be inspired by the Canadian animator Norman McLaren
Norman McLaren
Norman McLaren, CC, CQ was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada...
. A single from the album, "Hazel", was released on Domino Recording Company in April 2009.
Junior Boys finally managed to tour Australia in September 2009 as part of the Parklife Festival.
On October 9, 2010, via their Facebook page, they announced that their new album (untitled at that time) was nearly complete. On March 11, 2011, Junior Boys announced that their new album, It's All True
It's All True (Junior Boys album)
It's All True is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie-tronica duo Junior Boys released on June 13, 2011.-Track listing:# Itchy Fingers# Playtime# You'll Improve Me# A Truly Happy Ending# The Reservoir# Second Chance# Kick the Can# ep...
, will be released on June 13, 2011.
Luke Winkie at Paste Magazine reviewed It's All True and the album received a score of 7.7 out of ten from the magazine. Winkie at Paste stated, "If Junior Boys’ fourth album It’s All True proves anything, it’s that the Ontarian, indie-electro originals will never be fully defrosted. Their stealthy, dampened beat-work has kept them remarkably suave in a subgenre that generally softens up to a dorkier demographic – and seven years since Last Exit the band is as frigidly unflappable as ever, progressing nicely through their expected idiosyncrasies, while continuing to sound effortlessly and solitarily cool."
They have been chosen by Caribou
Caribou (musician)
Daniel Victor Snaith is a composer, musician and recording artist under stage names Caribou, Manitoba and Daphni. Under the supervision of Kevin Buzzard, he obtained a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College London.- Career:...
to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival that they co-curate in December 2011 in Minehead, England.
Promotions and media
In support of their 2006 album So This Is Goodbye, Junior Boys launched a fan-submitted video contest in conjunction with Domino Records and Imeem.com. Participants were invited to use any song from So This Is Goodbye as the soundtrack for their original video creations. The winner is to receive a $1000 in cash and prizes.In October 2006 Junior Boys launched SoThisIsGoodbye.com, an interactive flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
website based on the inspiration for the title. “It’s about dealing with the kind of goodbyes you say to things all the time that actually don’t tear you to pieces” explains Jeremy Greenspan of Junior Boys. Users were invited to post goodbye messages in the spirit of the title and to read those of others.
In December 2006 Junior Boys produced a podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
with interview clips and tracks from So This Is Goodbye. The podcast was featured as part of the Dominocast series of podcasts.
In August 2007 the track "In The Morning" from So This Is Goodbye was featured in Mack Dawg Productions "Picture This" for Finnish professional snowboarder Eero Ettala's video part. "In The Morning" was also used for the "Picture This" trailer.
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance |
SE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
||
| 2004 | Last Exit Last Exit (Junior Boys album) The highly critically acclaimed Junior Boys' first album, Last Exit, was released in 2004 on Domino Records in the U.S. and on KIN Records in the UK.The U.S...
|
- | - |
| 2006 | So This Is Goodbye So This Is Goodbye -Track listing:All songs writtem by Junior Boys except where noted#"Double Shadow" – 4:22#"The Equalizer" – 4:57#"First Time" – 5:26#"Count Souvenirs" – 4:45... |
10 | 38 |
| 2009 | Begone Dull Care Begone Dull Care (album) Begone Dull Care is the third studio album by Canadian synthpop duo Junior Boys, released in 2009. The album was released on March 24 in Canada and April 7 in the United States.... |
6 | - |
| 2011 | It's All True It's All True (Junior Boys album) It's All True is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie-tronica duo Junior Boys released on June 13, 2011.-Track listing:# Itchy Fingers# Playtime# You'll Improve Me# A Truly Happy Ending# The Reservoir# Second Chance# Kick the Can# ep... |
8 | - |
Extended plays
| Year | EP details | Peak Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance |
SE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
||
| 2007 | The Dead Horse EP The Dead Horse EP Junior Boys' The Dead Horse EP, is a remix EP of tracks from their 2006 album So This Is Goodbye. It was on released on April 10, 2007. It includes remixes by Hot Chip & Carl Craig.-Track listing:...
|
- | - |
Singles
- "Birthday/Last ExitBirthday (Junior Boys song)"Birthday" is a song by the Junior Boys, which was the first release by Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark, in 2003 on KIN Records. The single was quickly appreciated by many in the electro pop genre from their native Canada, who along with Tiga were starting to popularize the subtle electronic...
" (2003) - "High Come DownHigh Come DownThe Junior Boys continue their journey into left field electro pop with their second single released right before their first full length Last Exit. This 12" was again promoted by many bloggers and members of the indie electronic community and was the first Junior Boys single to gauge popularity...
" (2004) - "In the MorningIn the Morning (Junior Boys song)"In The Morning" is a single by the Junior Boys. This single preceded the second album So This Is Goodbye, featuring two tracks which would appear on the new record, "In The Morning" and "The Equalizer"...
" (2006) - "No Kinda Man" (2008)
- "HazelHazel (Junior Boys song)"Hazel" is the lead single by the Junior Boys off their third record Begone Dull Care. It includes solely remixes by English DJ and producer Ewan Pearson.-Track listing:# "Hazel" – 8:22# "Hazel" – 6:13...
" (2009) - "Bits and Pieces" (2010)
- "Banana Ripple" (2011)