Junior Boys type vibes

M

michael

Bring out the vacuum
That's probably not a 100% dead on title, but I guess I'm curious about any other music that sounds like some kind of mix of 80s art rock / pop and contemporary not-4-to-floor dance styles? A bit happy / sad, a bit detached and lyrically obscure, but not just lame. :) Could be odd tracks, could be the entire output of an artist - I'm not too fussed.

Things I have already that are in the area of what I'm seeking are:

  1. Aluminium Group meets Slicker's 'Next Time' (sorta Tears for Fears stylings arranged as a rim shot laden contemporary r&b slow jam)
  2. Schneider TM's 'The Light 3000' (weird vocoder and glitchy bits cover of The Smiths)
  3. Dntel's 'The Dream of Evan and Chan' (distorted blown-speaker-cone antics notwithstanding there's an appropriately obscure dream-recall lyric here and some very 80s tweaked synth chords)
  4. Some of the slow stuff on Erlend Øye's 'Unrest' eg. 'Every Party Has A Winner And A Loser', 'Gold', 'Ghost Trains'

Maybe that paints some kind of picture of what I'm after ("Yep, a load of shit" they chorus :p ) so if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them.
 
hmg

hmg

Victory lap
michael said:
  1. Dntel's 'The Dream of Evan and Chan' (distorted blown-speaker-cone antics notwithstanding there's an appropriately obscure dream-recall lyric here and some very 80s tweaked synth chords)

Maybe that paints some kind of picture of what I'm after ("Yep, a load of shit" they chorus :p ) so if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them.
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Postal Service - Give Up. Excellent album, SubPop's biggest seller since Nirvana I think, and by the same people as the dream of evan and chan.
 
hint

hint

party record with a siren
I second the Postal Service suggestion

also -

Hanne Hukkelberg - Little Things
The Notwist - Neon Golden
 
T

tom pr

Well-known member
Arab Strap's Monday at the Hug and Pint- similar electro-acoustic vibe to the Notwist and Postal Service records (both of which are essential), but more sombre and with Scottish spoken-word type vox.
 
M

michael

Bring out the vacuum
Yeah I've got the Postal Service and Notwist albums actually. Both albums that I utterly thrashed for a good year or so after getting each. I think the former is a bit more upbeat & chirpy and the latter it bit more rock than I'm thinking of... not meaning to sound ungrateful, of course. Great albums.

Thanks for the other suggestions people, I'll look into them.
 
J

jwd

Well-known member
I think someone may have already said this at ILM but the new Richard Davis album, Details, is very much in the Junior Boys vein (and much closer than those other examples, perhaps.) It's brilliant, though maybe a little over-long.

That Superpitcher remix of that Dntel song is amazing!

I'd second the Coloma album, though I tendto prefer Silverware, their first. Or the remix 12" from that, Elseware, which is bloody beautiful.
 
J

jk_gabba

gabba survivor
Some of the Morr records stuff is almost there, less "dance" i guess, but its worth checking out the "go find" album from this year, theres one track from it here - http://gabba.cc
 
O

owen

Well-known member
not really keen on coloma, someththing too spandau about them for me...

the boards of canada rmx of 'midas touch' is very JBs

also Monika records, gudrun gut's label, is very much up in this icy, melancholy europop/r&b neuromanticism area- barbara morgenstern's 'kleiner auschnitt', quarks, komeit...

i really want to get that richard davis thing...anyway is this for a mixtape? sounds very interesting...
 
H

henry s

Street Fighting Man
this is going back a bit, but Junior Boys remind me quite a bit of Heights Of Abraham, who were one of Steve Cobby's bands in the Pork stable in the mid-90's...HoA were much more elegant, less trip-hoppy, than their labelmates...
 
M

michael

Bring out the vacuum
Yeah, by all means post new suggestions, I'm still reading and still interested. :) I have to admit I was kinda desperate to avoid labels like Pork, so could've easily passed over some good stuff there.

Not sure how I'd never considered similarities with Metro Area - it's certainly there in some of the synth work. But really different mood, IMO.

I see on the Junior Boys site that Jeremy Greenspan's collabing with Morgan Geist... looking forward to that, if it's anywhere near as good as Morgan's track with Erlend Øye I'll probably thrash the sucker.

Was listening to Junior Boys blatting about on the shinkansen and had a moment of revelation that might upset some - some of their tracks are a lot like what Erasure were up to in the mid-90s.
 
M

mms

sometimes
michael said:
Not sure how I'd never considered similarities with Metro Area - it's certainly there in some of the synth work. But really different mood, IMO.

I see on the Junior Boys site that Jeremy Greenspan's collabing with Morgan Geist... looking forward to that, if it's anywhere near as good as Morgan's track with Erlend Øye I'll probably thrash the sucker.
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there is an ep out the noo.
it's alright.
 
S

simon silverdollar

Guest
i'd recommend checking out the new james figurine album, 'mistake mistake'
 
M

michael

Bring out the vacuum
Yeah, got that James Figurine album on order at the moment.

But it seems like most people are following a sort of housey direction with what they're up to, which is sweet, but I still get the feeling there's a lot of room that's more like r&b vibes meets the arty synthpop melancholy?

Things like this guy Vitamin For You could be getting there, but are just a bit not-interested-in-dance-music to quite get it. Plus I don't like the songs anyway. :eek:

I think I'm hunting for some elusive vibe that I may just have to try and make myself. Any hidden Mark Hollises on the list? :)
 
S

simon silverdollar

Guest
michael said:
I still get the feeling there's a lot of room that's more like r&b vibes meets the arty synthpop melancholy?
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have you heard jimmy edgar? his stuff sometimes fits that description.
 
G

gek-opel

entered apprentice
Edgar ought to be great (and is at times, especially on the EP he released before the recent album) but it all gets a bit too Jan Hammer-esque for me at times... Im just getting into some cut up sleaze vox and 2stepping beats when some Miami Vice synths start getting involved and it all goes a little bit wrong...
 
bruno

bruno

est malade
gek-opel said:
Edgar ought to be great (and is at times, especially on the EP he released before the recent album) but it all gets a bit too Jan Hammer-esque for me at times... Im just getting into some cut up sleaze vox and 2stepping beats when some Miami Vice synths start getting involved and it all goes a little bit wrong...
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that's precisely when i start to like his stuff! to each his own.
 
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