Last Exit is the debut studio album by Canadian electronic music group Junior Boys. It was released on June 7, 2004 by KIN Records in the United Kingdom and on September 21, 2004 by Domino Recording Company in the United States. The album was promoted by two singles: "Birthday" and "High Come Down".
| Last Exit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 7, 2004 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:26 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Producer | Junior Boys | |||
| Junior Boys chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Last Exit | ||||
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Last Exit received rave reviews from critics.[5] The United States release contains a bonus disc adding songs previously only available on their EPs.
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 89/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Blender |  [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[8] |
| The Guardian | [2] |
| NME | 9/10[9] |
| Pitchfork | 8.9/10[10] |
| Q | [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
| Spin | A−[11] |
| Uncut | [12] |
Last Exit received highly positive reviews from music critics. The album holds a score of 89 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[5] Writing for Pitchfork, Scott Plagenhoef praised the album for its "deceptively simple and very approachable tracks" and remarked that songwriter Jeremy Greenspan was able "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."[10] Uncut wrote that "the contrast between romanticism and sonic daring, alien time signatures and freakishly pretty tunes, is irresistible."[12] The Guardian's Dorian Lynskey stated that Junior Boys' "spectral vision of electronic pop is an understated, unpredictable delight",[2] while PopMatters' Adrien Begrand called Last Exit "a warm, friendly, entirely accessible pop album."[13] Andy Kellman of AllMusic noted that the album's songs "can be enjoyed with or without all of the analysis and context" and praised the duo's "ability to be alluringly aloof".[6] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly called the album "prettily nostalgic (think New Order, Erasure, Bronski Beat) and gloriously right now."[8]
Accolades
editThe song "Teach Me How to Fight" ranked at number 57 on Porcys' list of the best singles of 2000-2004,[14] as well as number 16 on Screenagers' list of the best songs of the 2000s.[15]
| Publication | Country | Rank | List |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cokemachineglow | Canada | 19 | Albums of the Year |
| Eye Weekly | 9 | Albums of the Year | |
| Magic | France | 10 | Albums of the Year |
| Porcys | Poland | 4 | Albums of the Year |
| 22 | Top 100 Albums from 2000-2004 | ||
| 7 | Top 100 Albums of the 2000s | ||
| Screenagers | 25 | Albums of the Year | |
| 4 | Top 100 Albums of the 2000s | ||
| B92 | Serbia | 16 | Albums of the Year |
| CD Drome | Spain | 24 | Albums of the Year |
| Mondosonoro | 17 | Albums of the Year | |
| Rockdelux | 21 | Albums of the Year | |
| Nöjesguiden | Sweden | 36 | Albums of the Year |
| Sonic | 16 | Albums of the Year | |
| The Guardian | UK | * | 1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die |
| No Ripcord | 10 | Albums of the Year | |
| Rough Trade | 57 | Albums of the Year | |
| Uncut | 15 | Albums of the Year | |
| AllMusic | USA | * | Albums of the Year |
| Left Off the Dial | 14 | Albums of the Year | |
| Pitchfork | 28 | Albums of the Year | |
| 76 | Top 200 Albums of the 2000s | ||
| PopMatters | 26 | Albums of the Year | |
| Prefix | 49 | Albums of the Year | |
| Stylus | 4 | Albums of the Year | |
| 26 | The 50 Best Albums of 2000-2004 | ||
| 47 | Top 100 Albums of the 2000s | ||
| Treble | 133 | Top 150 Albums of the 2000s | |
| The Village Voice | 41 | Albums of the Year |
*denotes an unordered list
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "More Than Real" |
| 6:39 |
| 2. | "Bellona" |
| 5:38 |
| 3. | "High Come Down" |
| 4:29 |
| 4. | "Last Exit" |
| 6:35 |
| 5. | "Neon Rider" | Greenspan | 2:08 |
| 6. | "Birthday" |
| 4:16 |
| 7. | "Under the Sun" |
| 7:02 |
| 8. | "Three Words" | Greenspan | 5:46 |
| 9. | "Teach Me How to Fight" |
| 5:31 |
| 10. | "When I'm Not Around" | Greenspan | 5:22 |
| Total length: | 53:26 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "Junior Boys: Last Exit". Q (215): 98. June 2004.
- ^ a b c Lynskey, Dorian (May 21, 2004). "Junior Boys, Last Exit". The Guardian. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ Pitchfork Staff (October 2, 2009). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
Greenspan did it by wrapping wistful words in some of the decade's most lovingly produced electro-pop...
- ^ a b Blashill, Pat (October 28, 2004). "Junior Boys: Last Exit". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Reviews for Last Exit by Junior Boys". Metacritic. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Last Exit – Junior Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ "Junior Boys: Last Exit". Blender (31): 136. November 2004.
- ^ a b Greenblatt, Leah (September 24, 2004). "Last Exit". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ "Junior Boys: Last Exit". NME: 41. July 31, 2004.
- ^ a b Plagenhoef, Scott (June 15, 2004). "Junior Boys: Last Exit". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ "Breakdown". Spin. 20 (11): 118. November 2004. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ a b "Ready To Depart". Uncut (86): 102. July 2004. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ Begrand, Adrien (October 13, 2004). "Junior Boys: Last Exit". PopMatters. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ "100 Singles 2000-2004". Porcys. Porcys Media. 11 July 2005. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^ "Podsumowanie dekady". Screenagers. Retrieved 9 April 2015.