''Last Exit'' is the debut
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by Canadian
electronic music
Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
group
Junior Boys
Junior Boys are a Canadian electronic pop group, founded in 1999 in Hamilton, Ontario by Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark. Dark left the project shortly after, and was replaced by engineer Matt Didemus. The duo initially gained critical praise ...
. It was released on June 7, 2004 by KIN Records in the United Kingdom and on September 21, 2004 by
Domino Recording Company
Domino Recording Company, or simply Domino, is a British independent record label based in London. There is also a wing of the label based in Brooklyn, New York that handles releases in the United States, as well as a German division called ...
in the United States. The album was promoted by two singles: "Birthday" and "High Come Down".
''Last Exit'' received rave reviews from critics.
The United States release contains a bonus disc adding songs previously only available on their EPs.
Critical reception
''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
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, indicating "universal acclaim".
Writing for ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
'', 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."
''
Uncut'' wrote that "the contrast between romanticism and sonic daring, alien time signatures and freakishly pretty tunes, is irresistible."
''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''s Dorian Lynskey stated that Junior Boys' "spectral vision of electronic pop is an understated, unpredictable delight",
while ''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' Adrien Begrand called ''Last Exit'' "a warm, friendly, entirely accessible pop album." Andy Kellman of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
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".
Leah Greenblatt of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' called the album "prettily nostalgic (think
New Order New Order may refer to:
Politics
* ''L'Ordine Nuovo'' (''The New Order''), a socialist newspaper edited by Antonio Gramsci in the early 1920s
* ''New Order in East Asia'', propaganda term for Japanese-dominated East Asia announced by Japanese ...
,
Erasure
Erasure may refer to:
Arts and media
* Erasure (duo), an English pop group
* ''Erasure'' (album), 1995, by the British group Erasure
* Erasure poetry, a form of found poetry created by erasing words from an existing text
* ''Erasure'' (novel), ...
,
Bronski Beat
Bronski Beat were a British synth-pop band formed in 1983 in London, England. The initial lineup, which recorded the majority of their hits, consisted of Scottish musicians Jimmy Somerville (vocals) and Steve Bronski (keyboards, percussion) and ...
) and gloriously right now."
Accolades
The song "Teach Me How to Fight" ranked at number 57 on Porcys' list of the best singles of 2000-2004, as well as number 16 on Screenagers' list of the best songs of the 2000s.
denotes an unordered list
Track listing
References
{{Authority control
2004 debut albums
Domino Recording Company albums
Junior Boys albums