|
New & Current Releases
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search
Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
|
Last Exit
by Junior Boys
This is the first full-length release from the hard-to-pin down Canadian synth-pop trio led by Jeremy Greenspan.
| LABEL: |
KIN / Domino |
| RELEASE DATE: |
21 September 2004 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Electronic, Indie, Dance, Pop |
NOTES: Original UK release 7 June 2004. The 9/04 U.S. release on Domino includes a short bonus disc with remixes.
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
Uncut
It's hard to believe there will be a better record than Last Exit released this year. [Jul 2004, p.102]
91
Spin
They do it better [than the Postal Service]--catchier songs, chillier production and more sophisticated beats. [Nov 2004, p.118]
90
Mojo
Tender dream-pop which is simulataneously familiar and novel. [Aug 2004, p.96]
90
Dusted Magazine
Last Exit is a truly excellent album, one of the best of 2004 so far. But what is truly exciting is the promise Last Exit holds for the future – for that of the Junior Boys themselves and the countless others it is sure to inspire.
90
Blender
Presents a rarity--a genuinely new sound. [Nov 2004, p.136]
90
New Musical Express
It's thrillingly obvious that Junior Boys have made one of the year's best albums. [31 Jul 2004, p.41]
90
Drawer B
Last Exit is a monumental debut... on par with It’s My Life or Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.
90
Stylus Magazine
There isn’t a single mis-step on Last Exit.
90
PopMatters
Last Exit, while being one of the year's most cutting-edge releases, is, most importantly, a warm, friendly, entirely accessible pop album.
90
All Music Guide
If you like your pop a little left of center and found the Postal Service to be too cute and syrupy, your fix is here.
89
Pitchfork
Greenspan... manages to fold elements of nearly a quarter-century of forward-looking pop into a distinct sound without sounding either conceptual or trading on contradictions or the smoke-and-mirrors of attention-grabbing eclecticism.
85
cokemachineglow
It is indeed a soaring achievement, one seemingly without missteps.... In fact, the only drawback of an album this expertly executed is its smoothness.
83
Entertainment Weekly
Supple, stylish electro-pop so cool it makes glaciers jealous. [24 Sep 2004, p.106]
80
Q Magazine
It's '80s synth-pop in spirit rather than form, miles away from the make-up clad silliness of electroclash and much more interested in muching about with present day technology than simply recreating the past. [Jun 2004, p.98]
80
The Guardian
In different hands, some of the songs might be butterscotch-smooth MOR but Jeremy Greenspan's voice never loses its neurotic edge.
80
ShakingThrough.net
Last Exit is noteworthy for taking on a sound that's easy to screw up (emoting over synthetic beats) and actually making it work.
80
Urb
But wait, you say you're sick of disingenuous irony? Well so are we, which is why Junior Boys is such an astounding relief, boarding on rapturous in their melancholy. [Jul/Aug 2004, p.125]
80
The Onion (AV Club)
Junior Boys makes hushed, blippy dance music with a contemporary sensibility, as though Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark had been continuously recording since 1980.
80
Tiny Mix Tapes
What keeps Last Exit grounded is the laid-back approach to the vocals and beats.
75
Almost Cool
Your tolerance level for the group will probably mostly have to do with how well you can stand the rather light vocal stylings and the sometimes lighter-electronics programming.
70
Dot Music
This is music that sounds like it was plotted by sad psychics graduates in lab coats. It's clean, melancholic and sterile (in a totally non-derogatory sense) - full of gently undulating rhythms and melodic pulses.
70
Junkmedia
What worries me about the obviously talented Junior Boys is their tendency to round their corners. The music is so safe, so pleasant; it's not hard to imagine it in the Starbucks CD rotation without raising an eyebrow.
70
Rolling Stone
Elegant tech-house, sexy without being stoopid. [28 Oct 2004, p.100]
The average user rating for this album is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 29 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Read more user comments...
Discuss this album in our forums |
GameSpot | GameFAQs | MP3.com | TV.com
