This year, Telefon Tel Aviv and Funkstörung have attempted such R&B-tinged electro-balladry, but besides great tunes, their records were missing what defines Exit: self-assured restraint. This record is breathtaking because it cares equally about sound and silence. The title track contentedly tingles against Greenspan's pipes, as a thwacking beat calls and an acidic bass line responds, with the two rarely intersecting. And most of it is that gorgeous.
Last Exit should bring Junior Boys more of the acclaim they've received since releasing two singles last year. But these collagists borrow so much from their heroes that they can't be the second coming. If anything, they're more like a techno-savvy version of Wham! And, as it turns out, that's still a great, great thing.
