We’re here to tell you that Begone Dull Care, the remarkable new album from the duo of Jeremy Greenspan and Matthew Didemus, professionally known as Junior Boys, is set for release on March 24th in their native Canada, with the US to follow on April 7th. The album’s release will be preceded by its lead single, “Hazel” on 12″ and digital formats.
After a well-earned break after nearly two solid years of activity around the band’s last album, the group spent most of 2008 focused on the completion of a new album, with Greenspan working in the band’s new studio/HQ/bar complex in Hamilton, Ontario and the recently-married Didemus telecommuting from his new home of Berlin, Germany. The only distractions from the task at hand were a DJ mix for Get Physical, an indirect Grammy nomination with Carl Craig for his incredible remix of “Like A Child” and Greenspan’s many vocal contributions to the latest Morgan Geist album, Double Night Time.
Begone Dull Care is the band’s third album, following the critical and commercial successes of Last Exit (2004) and So This Is Goodbye (2006). The title is a reference to a short film by the pioneering Oscar-winning Scottish-Canadian animator and electronic composer, Norman McLaren, who was a big influence on the conception and creation of this album. McLaren may not be as well-known today, but his influence has been seen by nearly anyone whose been raised on the early works of the Children’s Television Workshop. McLaren was especially fond of direct film animation (the technique of physically manipulating or painting on film frame by frame) as is the case with “Begone Dull Care” and stop-start animation (as displayed in his classic, “Neighbours”).
And that’s of course where the parallels come into focus: the meticulousness of film animation is much like the process of sequencing and programming electronic music. On Begone Dull Care, there isn’t a single sound emitted that feels out of place or like an afterthought. There is a measured restraint that’s rarely employed in modern pop music and it’s the precision and restraint in the arrangements that only serve to magnify what is there. And what is there is exceptional… from the post-industrial stomp of opener “Parallel Lines” to the soothing romanticism of “What It’s For,” which brings the album to an achingly soft close. Lead single, “Hazel” could well be described as “Sign Of The Times” re-imagined as an effervescent song of romantic yearning instead of the predecessor’s dark reflection of Reagan’s America.
The Junior Boys will be embarking on an extensive six-week tour of the Americas, commencing on March 28th in Toronto to celebrate the release of Begone Dull Care. Joining them on the tour will be Domino labelmate Max Tundra, he of a recently released and excellent album in his own right. Tour dates will be announced shortly.
The Tracklist:
1. Parallel Lines
2. Work
3. Bits And Pieces
4. Dull To Pause
5. Hazel
6. Sneak A Picture
7. The Animator
8. What It’s For