All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Uncut

It's hard to believe there will be a better record than Last Exit released this year. [Jul 2004, p.102]

Spin

They do it better [than the Postal Service]--catchier songs, chillier production and more sophisticated beats. [Nov 2004, p.118]

Mojo

Tender dream-pop which is simulataneously familiar and novel. [Aug 2004, p.96]

New Musical Express

It's thrillingly obvious that Junior Boys have made one of the year's best albums. [31 Jul 2004, p.41]

Dusted Magazine

Last Exit is a truly excellent album, one of the best of 2004 so far. But what is truly exciting is the promise Last Exit holds for the future – for that of the Junior Boys themselves and the countless others it is sure to inspire.

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Drawer B

Last Exit is a monumental debut... on par with It’s My Life or Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.

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Stylus Magazine

There isn’t a single mis-step on Last Exit.

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Blender

Presents a rarity--a genuinely new sound. [Nov 2004, p.136]

PopMatters

Last Exit, while being one of the year's most cutting-edge releases, is, most importantly, a warm, friendly, entirely accessible pop album.

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All Music Guide

If you like your pop a little left of center and found the Postal Service to be too cute and syrupy, your fix is here.

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Pitchfork

Greenspan... manages 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.

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cokemachineglow

It is indeed a soaring achievement, one seemingly without missteps.... In fact, the only drawback of an album this expertly executed is its smoothness.

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Entertainment Weekly

Supple, stylish electro-pop so cool it makes glaciers jealous. [24 Sep 2004, p.106]

Q Magazine

It's '80s synth-pop in spirit rather than form, miles away from the make-up clad silliness of electroclash and much more interested in muching about with present day technology than simply recreating the past. [Jun 2004, p.98]

The Guardian

In different hands, some of the songs might be butterscotch-smooth MOR but Jeremy Greenspan's voice never loses its neurotic edge.

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ShakingThrough.net

Last Exit is noteworthy for taking on a sound that's easy to screw up (emoting over synthetic beats) and actually making it work.

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Urb

But wait, you say you're sick of disingenuous irony? Well so are we, which is why Junior Boys is such an astounding relief, boarding on rapturous in their melancholy. [Jul/Aug 2004, p.125]

Tiny Mix Tapes

What keeps Last Exit grounded is the laid-back approach to the vocals and beats.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Junior Boys makes hushed, blippy dance music with a contemporary sensibility, as though Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark had been continuously recording since 1980.

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Almost Cool

Your tolerance level for the group will probably mostly have to do with how well you can stand the rather light vocal stylings and the sometimes lighter-electronics programming.

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Dot Music

This is music that sounds like it was plotted by sad psychics graduates in lab coats. It's clean, melancholic and sterile (in a totally non-derogatory sense) - full of gently undulating rhythms and melodic pulses.

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Junkmedia

What worries me about the obviously talented Junior Boys is their tendency to round their corners. The music is so safe, so pleasant; it's not hard to imagine it in the Starbucks CD rotation without raising an eyebrow.

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Rolling Stone

Elegant tech-house, sexy without being stoopid. [28 Oct 2004, p.100]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 40 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Hugo T. gave it a9:
It does sound bit cold but its more of dark ambient atmosphere...I dont see anything wrong on that! That's the way they told their story, I accepted and found this CD totally admirable! Everyone should spent more time with this one. Start with 'Teach me how to fight'!

[Anonymous] gave it a9:
Overall it's great. The minimal production adds much-needed sheen and elegance to the tired synth-pop formula, and parts, like the beautiful sighs of the title track, take your breath away. But the juxtaposition of quiet, breathy vocals and almost dancefloor-oriented beats sometimes creates an uncomfortable juxtaposition; it's almost as if there's no perfect place to listen to this record. I'd love for this to be a record to listen to quietly with headphones in the dark, but the sudden stabs of synth often jar me out of the state of total relaxation I feel the album is trying to create. However, the second disc from the US version is absolutely sublime: Unbirthday clears away layers from the original birthday, stripping it down to its beautiful core, and the two remixes are the finest songs I've heard in 2004. So that's an 8 for the first disc and a 10 for the second.

Bobby K. gave it a10:
Fantastic. Minimal, electronic with depth and emotion.

Mycroft W. gave it a10:
Absolutely fantastic and I liked the follow-up even better.

Ben C gave it a3:
just really, really really dull - can't understand why it got such good reviews when there is so much more interesting (electronic) music out there.

Reuben F gave it a3:
Being very introspective music, it is important to like the soul that is communicating to u - I don't. He sounds depressed, weak, timid, cold, pathetic and alienated from humanity. As for the music, it might be beautiful if they would only build the tempo up into an uplifting chorus, but they never do. Maybe I just lack an appreciation for minimalist synth-pop?

matt a gave it a9:
S. Gold can drink my liquid gold. Sorry, that was cheesy. But still, you are a fool. This isn't Joe Pernice dude. Lyrics are not what makes the song in this case; it's all about the smoothness and chilled-out danceablilty of the production. Definitely one of the ten best albums of 2004 and still souds amazing two years later.

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Last Exit

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