The Canadian-based duo has emerged with a pop statement that's easily one of the best albums of the year. It's a work that exhibits a confident mix of focus, clarity, and ambition. From the upbeat single, "In The Morning" to the somber triptych that closes the record, which touches such kindred spirits as Sylvian, Ferry, and Sinatra, Junior Boys manage to tease soul and longing out of their machines in a way that few have dared to try.

MP3 $9.99

Other people also bought:

FM3  The Buddha Machine I, Xiu Xiu | Devendra Banhart  Body Breaks b|w Support Our Troops! Oh!, Lightning Bolt  Hypermagic Mountain

This is the duo's third album, and the title is a reference to a short film by Norman McLaren, the pioneering Oscar-winning animator and electronic composer, who was fond of direct film animation (the technique of physically manipulating or painting on film frame by frame) and stop-start animation. His meticulousness is much like the band's process of composing and sequencing their music. There's a measured restraint that's rarely employed in modern pop music and it's the precision and restraint in the arr...   [ read more ]

MP3 $9.99

Other people also bought:

Silversun Pickups  Swoon, jrCORDUROY  Slow-Fi, Wisdom of Harry  House of Binary

There's no hype accompanying this group's assured ascent, because Junior Boys are not particularly fashionable (yet), and their sensitive, soulful, serene sound tends to provoke a reflective, measured response from those who hear it, rather than the usual premature ejaculation of superlatives. Critics love to try to categorize Junior Boys, to pin down their distinctive style, but, as you'll appreciate when you play the album, that's a tricky thing to do. You can say that "Last Exit" sounds like X doing Y w...   [ read more ]

MP3 $9.99

Other people also bought:

Band Of Horses  Black Flourish Shirt, Swan Lake  Beast Moans, Deerhoof  Friend Opportunity