Waiting Games

The making of Junior Boys sixth album began in early 2020. Jeremy Greenspan and Matt Didemus recorded for weeks at the formers studio in Hamilton, Ontario, after which the latter returned to his adoptive Berlin, leaving Greenspan to shape the material while continuing the writing and recording processes. Greenspan at the same time absorbed outside (and outdoor) influences as he listened to a diverse range of subtle music during walks along Hamilton trails. He consequently became fascinated with incorporating many layers of sound, reducing them in the mix, and optimizing spatialization to make the songs best suited for low-volume listening. The understated and enveloping Waiting Game is the result. Didemus contributions are heard on four of the nine songs, as are Colin Fishers gentle saxophone intonations. The voice of Alanna Stuart melts into Greenspans on "Yes 2," the only danceable track, a luminescent confection somewhere in the realm of Last Exits "High Come Down" and Jessy Lanzas Greenspan-assisted "Oh No." Greenspan variably warps his vocals from track to track, in multiple instances makes use of a 10cc-like chorus of "ahh"s, and twice features a voice synthesizer that either recites Latin or stammers incoherently. Still, Waiting Game sounds like a solitary effort. Its an inviting one, instantly pulling in the listener with the serene ambience of "Must Be All the Wrong Things"; like nothing else the JBs have done before, the LPs introduction is wide open, containing a tender, expressive bassline and bell-like keyboard tones, and a latter half that resembles a kind of slow exhalation. "Night Walk" picks up the pace a little with a low-profile mechanical churn, and "Thinking About You Calms Me" -- the setup for "Yes 2" -- is tantalizing electro-pop full of affection and a sense of solace. The flickering, twinkling instrumental "Fidget" leads to "Samba on Sama," a floating ballad with dulcet chimes, rippling pulsations, and whispered fragmentary lyrics about the onset of spring and something far more serious. Last, right on time, is the title song, a pattering slice of avant adult contemporary. The central line "Hold a lantern to whats yours," absolute dreck in any other context, lands like a soft bomb. ~ Andy Kellman